Families and friends kicked off the festive season at CancerCare's Santa Dash 2024 which raised over £6,000 (including Gift Aid).
Participants were not to be deterred by the threat of Storm Bert, with over 100 dashers taking to the streets to complete a one-mile fun run in their most festive fancy dress ahead of Lancaster BID’s Christmas lights switch-on.
Participants were encouraged to raise sponsorship ahead of their dash, with the family who raised the most being invited on stage to switch on the Christmas lights alongside Santa and the Beyond Radio team. Long-term CancerCare supporter Kerry and her daughters Harper and Isabela and their grandmother Vicky were this year’s winners after raising £726 between them.
“This was the best day of my life,” said Harper when she stepped off stage.
Several of the dashers have been attending the annual Santa Dash every year since its inception.
Graham Pye held his own fundraiser this year. Graham and his family were supported by CancerCare after Graham’s wife was diagnosed with mouth cancer in November 2022.
“Nobody expects to get this dreadful disease, certainly not in your household,” Graham said. “Myself and my nine-year-old daughter entered the Santa Dash to show our support to the families who are going through the same tough times.”
In total, CancerCare’s dashers raised over £2,500 via their JustGiving pages.
Local drumming group Samba Espirito, who support this event each year, provided a party atmosphere, bringing samba rhythms to boost the enthusiasm of the Santa Dash runners.
Lancaster museum was transformed into a magical grotto with children meeting Santa, playing with the elves, writing their Christmas letters and choosing a gift from Santa’s workshop.
CancerCare's Event Lead Fundraiser Lisa Lambert said: “We had the most special day and thankfully Storm Bert held off so we enjoyed a dry dash! We can’t thank our dashers enough for coming along with so much enthusiasm and for supporting us. It was great fun watching the sea of Santas, elves and reindeers getting race ready.
“This is one of the largest totals we’ve ever raised for a Lancaster Santa Dash and these funds will provide vital support to people in our local communities who are dealing with the devastating effects of a cancer diagnosis or the loss of someone they love.
“Thanks must go to supporters in the local business community including event sponsors FGH Security. Thanks to The Cumberland and Sheryl Coultas Anderson of Hidden Village Gym, and to Bob and Berts Lancaster for donating water to our dashers. A huge thank you to Lancaster BID, too, for inviting us along.”
For more details on our 2024 Christmas events, check out our calender: https://cancercare.org.uk/news...