Hundreds of festive fundraisers braved freezing weather to dash around The Valley Evesham dressed as Father Christmas.
Over 350 Santa’s tackled the annual multi-terrain 5k run – all in aid of St Richard’s Hospice.
Husband and wives, friends, families, dogs and even babies donned the famous red suit and made it around The Valley’s shopping mall and onto their 125 acres of countryside.
Ria Simons from St Richard’s Hospice said, “We are hugely grateful to all the Santa festive fundraisers who turned out to kick start the Christmas season. The atmosphere was very jolly, and it’s just such a cheery sight to see Santa’s of all ages enjoying themselves for a great cause. All the funds raised will help us continue to offer our free care and support to people living with a life-threatening illness, making every moment count.”
Phil Maclean, Marketing Manager at The Valley Evesham, added, ‘We are thrilled with the turnout for the Santa Dash this year, the beautiful chilly morning certainly added to the festive mood amongst the participants. We are so grateful to St Richard’s Hospice for allowing us to host the event with us, and hope lots of money is raised for such an important charity to the local area”.
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.