EASTENDERS actor Perry Fenwick took two lucky children on a magical train ride through a Christmassy Eden shopping centre on Saturday.

Perry, better known as Billy Mitchell from the BBC 1 soap, jumped aboard the Santa Express with children from the Thomas Ball Children’s Charity.

Ellie Morphie, 8, who suffers from Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Charlie Walker, 6, who has a brain tumour, spent an hour with the actor before they paid a visit to Santa’s Grotto.

Elaine Ball said: “The children loved it; they recognised Perry from EastEnders and thought that was pretty cool. Perry was excellent with the children; he couldn’t do enough for them.

“Things like this make such a difference to the children. Charlie’s mum was telling me that he can only walk a few steps at a time but he was so enthralled by the whole day that it gave him a new lease of life.

“His parents even abandoned his push chair at one stage as he was walking about, it has such a positive effect so it was a wonderful day.”