THE Santa Fun Run is under starter’s orders thanks to a generous donation from Central England Co-operative Funeralcare.
The popular Christmas event returns to Arrow Valley Lake on Sunday, December 1 and this year will not only feature a 5k run and a children’s 1k but also a 10k route too.
The hospice was given an early Christmas present from the team at Co-operative Funeralcare in Bromsgrove which has offered to fund the cost of the medals presented to participants.
They will also be providing water bottles and mince pies for runners as well as funding the printing of flyers and posters to advertise the event.
Every month, Central England Co-operative Funeralcare generously provides tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits for the day hospice.
Victoria Barry, Funeral Director at Bromsgrove Central England Co-op Funeralcare, said: “Everyone here at Rubery Funeral Home is proud to be part of such a great community and part of that pride comes from being able to support brilliant causes like Primrose Hospice.
“The charity undertakes vital work that supports people with life-limiting illnesses and one of the ways it is able to do this is by organising events such as the popular Santa Fun Run.
“We wanted to show our support for Primrose by providing a donation to help fund medals for everyone who is taking part but also give them a bottle of water and a mince pie when they complete the route to support the hospice and help it raise vital funds.”
Last year, hundreds of people took part in the first ever Santa Fun Run in aid of Primrose, which provides free care and support for people living in north east Worcestershire including Redditch.
It raised over £6,500 for the hospice which cares for people with life-limiting conditions, their families as well as bereaved people whose loved ones may not have had contact with the hospice.
Sarah Harris, community fundraiser at Primrose Hospice, said: “We are so grateful to Central England Co-operative Funeralcare for their generous donation.
“The Santa Fun Run is such a fabulous event – it really gets people into the festive spirit and the atmosphere is amazing.
“While it is a lot of fun to take part, it also helps raise vital funds to keep our services free for people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
“Last year, we had great feedback from runners and we think they’re going to enjoy it even more this year, especially as we’ve added a 10k run.
“The booking form is now live and we’ve already had a great response so if anyone is looking to take part, make sure you sign up soon so you don’t miss out.”
Primrose Hospice must raise £1.75million annually to keep its services free of charge.
The majority of this money, around 85 per cent, is not Government funded and must be fundraised via the community, trusts and grants.
To sign up to the Santa Fun Run, visit primrosehospice.org/events/santa-fun-run-2 or call 01527 889796.