It was almost a case of Santa splash rather than Santa Dash.
But at the last minute the rain dried up and around 200 Father Christmases set off on a one mile run – or walk – around Huddersfield town centre.
The annual event, organised by Huddersfield Lions and sponsored by RRG Toyota, is in its fifth year and enables local charities to raise funds without worrying about all the administrative costs and bureaucratic hassle.
Organisers were indulgent to those taking part allowing them to run, walk, hop or skip their way round from a starting point outside Yates’s Wine Lodge in King Street.
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Sarah Pattison, a 34-year-old mother-of-three from Shepley, pushed two of her children, three-year old Clark and little Flynn round while her six-year-old Dexter ran.
She said: “It’s my third time doing it and I’m raising money for Kirkwood Hospice. My dad Richard Clark died of cancer.”
Sarah’s husband Matthew, 34, finished first though the dash was not billed as a competitive race.
Lions’ president Graham Isley hailed the event another success and said: “We think we cracked last year’s entry of 200 and we are also set to beat last year’s total of £16,000 with 23 charities participating.”
Colne Valley Conservative MP Jason McCartney and his two daughters Daisy and Eleanor were part of 21 runners who ran on behalf of the Joseph Salmon Trust which provides financial advice for parents who have lost a child.
Founder Neil Salmon, of Marsh, said: “That is a lot for a little charity like us. We have raised over £600.”
