Much-loved sleigh campaign achieves third ever-best result
A Rotary club’s ‘much-loved’ long-standing sleigh campaign has achieved its third ever-best financial success.
Donations in excess of £7,000 were received by Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club during their month-long seasonal campaign throughout December.
As a result of the public’s great generosity, the club will be able to continue fulfilling long-stand pledges as well as meeting new requests for financial support.
President Johnathan Callwood said he was ‘delighted’ with the public response to the campaign which he described as a ‘much-loved’ annual event that in 2025 had been ‘challenging’.
He said: “We were only a small team of Santas, elves and sleigh towing vehicle drivers for the exacting whole month of December.
“So I would like to publicly express my sincere thanks to Rotarians, non-members, wives, families, friends and volunteers who came along and wonderfully enabled the full rota to be successfully completed.
“They all contributed so enthusiastically and took up the challenge of meeting a truly testing programme of appearances at supermarkets and community runs which will be a vital component for success in future years.
“Thanks to the weather, we were able to fulfil our scheduled programme with no dates having to be cancelled.
“But for the 2026 Santa campaign we shall need to find more volunteers as well as hopefully new members to help spread this huge workload.”
The club has expressed a ‘massive thanks’ to the sleigh drivers who not only included the president himself, but immediate past president David Morris and daily vehicle marshal Rotarian John Yeomans who had all contributed to the lion’s share of this vital task of the schedule.
Said Johnathan: “For the latest sleigh fundraising campaign we were also very fortunate to have had two towing vehicles from Furrows and Hatfields so enormous thanks to both local dealerships for their most valued support.”
The president also thanked Rotarian Fred McDonogh for organising an extensive rota that was delivered in full - and also for his huge contribution as a Santa.
The club said it was pleased with the battery system on the new sleigh which had worked ‘extremely well’ and in addition its new lights and reins which had been ‘well received’ by the public.
The president added: “Still to be completed between now and the next campaign is some further sleigh refurbishment work, mainly to Rudolph as well as the lights.
“We hope these improvements will make the new sleigh even more effective, attractive and popular for the 2026 campaign which Rotary is once again looking forward to organising.”
