New record set by festive fundraiser as donations were up almost 30% on previous year in Northampton

For an impressive two decades, the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket has enabled families to visit Santa who may not be able to otherwise – all while raising money that is donated back into the community.

The group is made up of around 40 people of all ages, who raise funds and volunteer on projects to support good causes. These have included The Lowdown, Marie Curie and The King’s Trust.

Santa’s sleigh visited a wide variety of locations across the town between November 30 and December 22, which was no mean feat for the dedicated volunteers at the busiest time of year.

A static display of the sleigh, complete with Santa, music and helpers, was also outside Tesco in Mereway between December 13 and 23. The volunteers were pleased that this was in attendance at the Christmas lights switch on in the Market Square and at a number of local schools too.

Having reached out to the Chronicle & Echo to share the success of their 20th anniversary year, rotarian David Sparrow said: “I’m delighted to say we had a new record amount raised, with over £12,000 in donations from the public – almost 30 percent up on last year, which was also a record.

“As usual, the reaction we received going round the local communities was tremendous, with lots of families coming out to see Santa and have their picture taken.”

The volunteers wanted to give special thanks to Hector and the staff at Nationwide in Weston Favell.

“They very kindly banked most of the cash we collected,” said David. “A task that took several hours to complete and was much appreciated by us.”

For more information on The Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, visit their website here.