Santa dash raises funds in Telford
Hundreds of Santas got the Christmas season under way in Shropshire to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
More than 250 people dressed in traditional red suits and white beards took to the paths around Telford Town Park as part of the ninth annual Telford Santa Dash.
Organisers said 254 people and several dogs took part – raising money for two good causes.
Organiser Chris Pettman, chairman of the Friends of Telford Town Park, said: "It was wonderful because we had nearly 100 people more than last year.
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"We had several dogs take part as well, some of them dressed up. I even saw one with a beard.
"We raised £2,500 on the day and there's more still to come in from sponsorship and raffle tickets. We're expecting to have topped £3,000 by the end of January when we've collected everything."
Volunteers from Telford's Park Run helped marshal the route, which was cut short for those wanting to take on the longer 3.8km course by a fallen tree. Mr Pettman said:
"But as long as people got dressed up and ran and had a good time and raised a lot of money, that was the key thing."
All the money raised will be split between the RNIB and Guide Dogs UK.
"Although people are running for a national charity the charities do a lot for local people and I reminded people before the run that one day they might need the support of those charities.
"Of course it's nice to support local charities, but the national ones do fantastic work as well, and in the local area," he added.
