THE SANTA sleigh tour around the Malvern Hills district organised by the Round Table has raised more than £2,000 for St Richard’s Hospice.
The long-standing Christmas tradition was reinstated in 2019 but the Covid pandemic halted the rounds in 2020.
The event was brought back in December, raising £1,265.30 and with the Round Table elves’ fund-raising efforts kindly match-funded by a member’s employer, the total ended up at £2,015.30.
Rhys Humm, of Malvern Hills Round Table, said: “We loved bringing Santa’s Sleigh back to the local community, after Covid prevented us from doing so in 2020.
“We’ve been blown away by the response from the public, with many parents saying they remember the sleigh from their own childhoods and hundreds of delighted children making memories of their own.
“We can’t wait to be back in 2022.
“St Richard’s is a cause that means so much to people locally so we were delighted to support them this year.”
Kelly Johns, St Richard’s Hospice’s fund-raising community and events manager, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone at Malvern Hills Round Table for choosing us as one of their charity partners this year and raising such a brilliant amount to help us care for local patients and families.
“We know their elves work tirelessly to bring some Christmas magic locally and they can be proud of the difference they’re making for local causes likes ours.”
Each year the hospice team supports more than 2,900 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire which costs £8.75million-per-year to pay for all the patient care and support services.
The independent charity relies on donations and gifts in wills for the majority of its income with the remainder funded by the NHS.
Visit strichards.org.uk for more.
