Santa Dash Success

This year's Santa Dash, which took place on 8 December, was a great success. The morning dawned reasonably warm and dry, attracting 242 runners of various ages who gathered in Stocklund Square for the start of the run.

£1,643 was raised from the entry fees for the Santa Dash and another £91.86 from the donations for refreshments and the sale of Santa outfits for all the family.

All profits will be donated by the Rotary Club of Cranleigh to local primary schools for dictionaries and library books.

Children and adults were able to run, jog or walk a 5 km course, with a 10 km route using the Downs Link and Snoxhall Fields just for the grown-ups. Every participant received a bespoke Santa Dash medal and a Santa hat to keep. Santa suits were also available to purchase on the day.

Father Christmas assisted Lucy Bushnell from Cranleigh Sunflowers with the festive warm up before the start, and everyone agreed it was a novel way to begin the day.

The event was boosted by the Cranleigh community choir, who sang festive songs for half an hour as the runners came back. The refreshments, which included warm mulled wine and cakes, were welcomed by all.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered or took part and made the Santa Dash 2019 such a success! We look forward to sharing with you how the local schools use the funds for their various learning resources!!

The event was sponsored by Cranleigh Sunflowers, Cranleigh Rotary Club, Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce, Informed Choice Independent Financial Planners and Oakwood Tax Consultants.

Next year’s event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 13 December, so make a note in your long-term diaries. The website for entries is already open.

For further details and booking see: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cranleigh-santa-dash-2020-tickets-85402092959;

Destination Cranleigh at https://destinationcranleigh.net/events/cranleigh-santa-dash-2020/;

or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/1380949612073118/).

shoebox collectors 2019 Cranleigh Rotarians have also been busy in recent weeks with other charity events. In late November, they helped to collect hundreds of shoeboxes that were filled with gifts for deprived children in Romania, subsequently loading them onto a lorry for despatch to their destination.

Rotarians had previously raised £905 during a street collection for Children In Need, and they will also be out in force in Cranleigh High Street before Christmas, with another street collection to raise funds for various Rotary charities.