Festive fun for soldier Daniel

MERRY Christmas . . . Daniel Harvey with Santa Claus and one of his elves

4 months late — but still time to party

CHRISTMAS celebrations finally arrived four months late for Chadderton soldier Daniel Harvey.

Friends and family attended a surprise festive bash — complete with Father Christmas and elves — for the Grenadier Guardsman, who was serving in Afghanistan on December 25.

They packed into the Friendship Inn, Manchester Street, for the celebration after the 27-year-old finished his second tour of duty in the war zone.

The former Radclyffe School pupil said: “I wasn’t expecting it. I thought I was having a chicken dinner!

“My mum and my girlfriend were supposed to be at home cooking chicken and then we were going to play cards. We were supposed to be having a quiet night in.

“The next thing I knew I was walking in here and everyone was here. I didn’t know where to look, there were so many people.

“I was pretty lucky because I got a live TV link with my girlfriend on Christmas day, that was nice. But apart from that how can you have Christmas over there?”

Parents Roy and Brenda Harvey, from Chadderton, arranged the party and the guests included Daniel’s gran, Joan.

Brenda (48) said Christmas has been subdued last year, although they tried to celebrate for their other sons, Mark (15) and Karl (13).

“I had a bit of a sad moment on Christmas day. It was a very quiet Christmas because we did not want to celebrate,” she explained.

“It’s not unusual not to have him here at Christmas but it was unusual that we couldn’t phone him.

“It’s been a nightmare keeping the party a secret.”

Girlfriend Hayley Norris (24) travelled from Hampshire for the do with her two-year-old daughter, Lydia, and parents Josie and Richard.

She said: “It is nice to welcome him back home properly and there are a lot of people here he hasn’t seen for a while. It’s not nice when he is away. I think it makes it worse watching it on the news, hearing what’s going on. I try to ignore that and enjoy hearing from him when he rings up.”

Daniel will now take part in Trooping the Colour before enjoying 10 weeks’ leave, and is looking forward to a holiday in Spain.

Proud dad Roy (48) thanked everyone who made the party possible and said: “The local people have rallied round for him and paid for it. MT Belly cafe put all the food on and the landlady booked the DJ.”