Member Article

Santa Run raises festive cheer and funds for two great causes

It certainly looked like Christmas had arrived early for pupils of a local North Yorkshire school last week, as scores of children took inspiration from Santa and dressed up as the big man to raise money for two worthy causes.

Pupils from Cundall Manor School, based between Thirsk and Ripon, took on a festive ‘Santa Run’ to raise funds for Shelter and Yorkshire Air Ambulance by completing a dash across the school’s grounds.

The pupils donned their best festive attire and completed the course in chilly conditions across a two-day period, with funds being raised in excess of £2,200 so far.

Headmistress at Cundall Manor School, Amanda Kirby said: “Events like the Santa Run are a key part of how we encourage a spirit of raising and giving across our school. Led by our Charity Champions, we all appreciate the wonderful work that Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Shelter do and each year we attempt to raise money for both charities. Due to the current health emergency, we had to do things a little differently this year, but this was a great way to get our pupils outside, have a lot of fun and help raise money.”

Business Manager, Paul Swalwell, added: “A huge thank you to all our generous families who have supported the event. We all know that this year has been especially difficult so events like the Santa Run can make a real difference.”

Bob Smailes, Yorkshire Air Ambulance Fundraising Manager (East and North East Yorkshire) said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Cundall Manor School for their generosity and support and for raising more than £1,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).

It has been a challenging year for the YAA with many of our events being cancelled throughout the year, but we have received such tremendous support from fundraisers such as Cundall Manor School and we’re incredibly grateful. The money raised will help greatly towards the £12,000 a day it costs to keep both of our helicopters flying over Yorkshire and saving lives.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Swalwell .