Local charity Dorothy House Hospice Care held its 8th annual Santa & Elf Run on Sunday 9th December, with the 2.5k or 5k fun run being held at Bath Spa University at Newton Park.
With almost 300 runners taking part, the charity hopes to have raised over £11,000 in funds to support vital patient care at the hospice.
The 2018 Santa and Elf Run was open to the whole family and local people were invited to dress up as Santas or Elves and join in with a comedy warm-up session hosted by Cheryl and Tony from Rare Species Theatre Company.
The 2.5k running route featured a lake, woods, a castle, a garden temple and two Snow Stations where spectators sprinkled snow on the runners as they passed by in the scenic grounds of the University.
Dorothy House provides free, palliative and end of life care for people living with a life-limiting illness in Wiltshire, Bath & North East Somerset and Somerset.
Emily Knight, Event Fundraiser at Dorothy House Hospice Care said of the Santa and Elf Run; “It was a great day out for all the family. We loved watching all the Santas and Elves enjoying our stunning new course to raise money for their local Hospice.
“Well done to all our runners and a huge thank you to all our volunteers, marshals and Bath Spa University.”
Laura Millard from Trowbridge, wife of Benj Millard originally from Frome said: “Last Sunday’s fun run was an emotional but amazing day for all of us and will always be a very special memory in our hearts.
“It meant so much for Benj to see the strong network of support he has from a fantastic group of friends and family. Over forty people joined us to support Benj and are raising funds for his Avastin bowel cancer treatment and a percentage of the money raised will go to Dorothy House who are supporting the family.
“We were overwhelmed by the love, warmth and affection for Benj. Thank you to everyone that took part, cheered or marshalled, it means so much to us.”
A Bath Spa University spokesperson said: “As a university with a variety of courses including acting, drama and dance, we are used to seeing some unique characters on campus, but hundreds of Santas and elves was very special indeed!
“We were delighted to be able to host the charity fun run in our beautiful grounds and we look forward to working with Dorothy House Hospice Care again in future.”
Lauren Prince from Fwd Thinking Recruitment in Bath said; “I chose to raise money for Dorothy House at their Santa and Elf Fun Run because of the outstanding care and support they gave my Dad and all of our family before he died of cancer in June 2017.
“Dorothy House provided respite care for my Dad at the Winsley hospice as well as compassionate and professional support from their amazing team of Nurse Specialists. Well done for a fantastic event.”
To donate to Dorothy House, visit www.dorothyhouse.org.uk.
