The final weeks of 2019 were a busy time for Cranleigh Rotarians, with several fundraising events to support local charities.
This year’s Santa Dash, which took place on 8 December, was a great success. The morning dawned reasonably warm and dry, attracting 242 runners of various ages who gathered in Stocklund Square for the start of the run.
£1,643 was raised from the entry fees for the Santa Dash and another £91.86 from the donations for refreshments and the sale of Santa outfits for all the family. All profits are being donated by the Rotary Club of Cranleigh to local primary schools for dictionaries and library books.
Children and adults were able to run, jog or walk a 5 km course, with a 10 km route using the Downs Link and Snoxhall Fields just for the grown-ups. Every participant received a bespoke Santa Dash medal and a Santa hat to keep. Santa suits were also available to purchase on the day.
Father Christmas assisted Lucy Bushnell from Cranleigh Sunflowers with the festive warm up before the start, and everyone agreed it was a novel way to begin the day. The event was boosted by the Cranleigh community choir, who sang festive songs for half an hour as the runners came back. The refreshments, which included warm mulled wine and cakes, were welcomed by all.
The event was sponsored by Cranleigh Sunflowers, Cranleigh Rotary Club, Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce, Informed Choice Independent Financial Planners and Oakwood Tax Consultants.
Next year’s event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 13 December, so make a note in your long-term diaries. The website for entries is already open. (see www.cranleighrotary.org.uk)
Cranleigh Rotarians have also been busy in recent weeks with other charity events. In late November, they helped to collect hundreds of shoeboxes that were filled with gifts for deprived children in Romania, subsequently loading them onto a lorry for despatch to their destination.
Rotarians had previously raised £905 during a street collection for Children In Need, and they were also out in force in Cranleigh High Street before Christmas, with another street collection to raise funds for various Rotary charities. The outcome was the magnificent sum of £1,843 given by members of the local community.
Particular thanks are due to the Guides, who turned up in force on Saturday and who gave a great performance of carol singing outside Sainsbury’s for a whole hour in the afternoon. This helped to boost the takings for Saturday, which until then had been a quiet day for collecting.
The next fundraising events will be the ever-popular Rotary quiz on Friday, 20 March, and the MABAC run on Sunday, 29 March. More details about how to enter these events will be posted nearer the time.
