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The Great Skipton Santa Fun Run
The number 13 may be unlucky for some, but the 13th Great Skipton Santa Fun Run was a triumph for the Rotary Club of Skipton Craven when 1717 Santas painted the streets of Skipton red as they ran, walked and wheelchaired the 5km and 3km courses on Sunday, in support of the Club’s principal charity Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, and of other local charities; while several other charities fielded their own teams to boost their own fundraising efforts
For the first time, many participants were wearing the new eco-friendly T-shirts, which will, in the future, replace the Santa suits, following concerns about them not being recyclable.
The oldest participant was 90 year old Mary Wild, who completed her 8th walk around the 5km course (including the ‘Virtual’ Fun Run in 2020). She said: “I do it because I really enjoy it and I am with my friends. I feel that I am doing something worthwhile and helping others. It keeps me going, and I am already looking forward to next year’s Santa Fun Run”.
17 participants had travelled from Dronten in The Netherlands, representing the Rotary Club of Dronten, which is affiliated to the Rotary Club of Skipton Craven.
Peter Ripley, Lead Organiser of the Santa Fun Run said:
“Mary epitomises the spirit of the Santa Fun Run, where the emphasis is not just on raising money but also it is about having fun, in many cases with family, friends and work colleagues.
The weather was just right, albeit we failed to find any snow!
I would like to pay tribute to the Chief Officer and her Team at Skipton Town Council for their enthusiastic support for the event right from the early stages of the planning process and thank all the Rotarians and Friends who did such a sterling job as Marshals around the two routes.
And thank you also, to all our Sponsors for their generous contributions which always help towards cutting the cost of running the event.
It will be some time before we know exactly how much money has been raised, but rest assured, we will let the good people of Skipton and surrounding areas (and Dronten} know as soon as we have the final figure.”
See you next year!