Meet the Blairgowrie bus driver who definitely knows how to raise a laugh this Christmas.
Wilma Smith, who drives for Smith and Sons Coaches, has spent the entire month of December dressing up in wacky costumes to amuse her primary school passengers.
Her festive outfits have so far included a Christmas cracker, an elf, a Christmas tree, Santa, a reindeer – and even an inflatable turkey. And that list is far from exhaustive.
© Supplied by Wilma Smith
She said: “I’ve dressed up since the first day of this month, every day. I try to dress up as something different.
“I’ve done so many now, really silly stuff like a cracker, a pudding too – I even went as the Grinch one day.
“I do this every year, but I think especially now it’s given people a boost that they really needed.
“I’ll be driving past someone and they’ll see me in my fancy dress and they’ll just smile, which is great. As long as I make one person smile every day then I’ve done my job.
“I’ve loved Christmas since I was wee, so I don’t mind dressing up and getting to be a little bit daft for the holidays.”
© Supplied by Wilma Smith
So far, Wilma’s festive outfits have proven popular with the 43 children who ride her bus, with the 53-year-old saying: “I take a lot of the kids from Longforgan Primary through to Errol while their school gets done up.
“So far they’re absolutely loving it, they’re really happy with it.
“One day I dressed up as Santa and I gave them all selection boxes, they were all very happy about that too.
“I think that I’m just a big kid too, that’s why I enjoy it. I’m a 53-year-old with the mental age of five!
“It’s been great fun for everyone – me, the kids, their parents – we’ve all really enjoyed it.
“It’s just a fantastic thing that I get to do every year, my bosses are great and they’re more than happy to let me dress up for work.”
Festive fun also raising money for charitable cause
There is also a charitable aspect to Wilma’s work, with the driver raising hundreds of pounds in donations.
She said: “I’ve been doing it for another reason too, I wanted to raise money for motor neurone disease.
“So far we’ve raised about £700 for the cause which has been great.
“I think I’m just happy to be able to do this and raise a bit of money for a good cause at the same time.”
You can donate to Motor Neurone Disease Scotland by visiting the charity’s website.
© Mhairi Edwards
