Santa bubbles dash for cash
Maidenhead: Hundreds of people including three schools raised £19,000 for Alzheimers charity
Alzheimers Dementia Support (ADS) held a successful online live show for its annual Santa Fun Run this year – with school and college students taking part in their bubbles to help out.
Maidenhead-based ADS would usually hold its annual Santa Fun Run at Eton Dorney Lake.
COVID-19 restrictions meant that this was not possible but rather than simply ask people to run and submit funds, the charity decided to launch the event with a live show on the morning of Sunday, November 29.
Flexible office space provider MyWorkSpot in Reform Road donated a large open plan room which became Santa’s Grotto for the morning and enabled the team to work at a safe distance.
The show was hosted by local compere Jonny Walker and included carols from Eton
College Choir and The Queen’s Six, as well as a performance from the young pupils of the Enchanted School of Dance. There were also competitions, poems and a visit from Santa.
To raise money for ADS, more than 400 students and staff from Berkshire College of
Agriculture completed a set of circuits of their grounds, sometimes in the pouring rain.
Their final day was attended by Nysa Harris, director of operations at ADS, and Tegan Harris, author of ‘A Kid’s Guide to Dementia’.
At Eton College more than 200 students ran in Santa suits around fields at the college in COVID-safe bubbles.
“This is an extraordinary achievement given the restrictions of COVID-19,” said Nysa. “We are amazed that Guy (the pupil who organised it) was able to achieve this in what must be a very busy term of exams and university applications.”
In total, more than 700 participants have taken part, raising £19,000 thus far.
The event runs until the end of December with all participants receiving a medal and certificate.
Links to registration, donations and a recording of the live show can be found on the charity’s website: www.adscharity.com