Rotary Club of South Holland passes on Santa Sleigh Run to Spalding Round Table, 41 Club and Ladies Circle

A new team of elves will be helping Father Christmas make his way around the area on board his sleigh.

The Rotary Club of South Holland is now passing on the baton of the popular Santa Sleigh Runs onto members of Spalding Round Table, the 41 Club and Ladies Circle.

Sadly the rotary club has now folded after 40 years for a number of reasons - including struggling to recruit younger people to join its ranks and the ‘advancing age’ of some members.

However several club members have joined the town’s second club - The Rotary Club of Spalding.

The rotary club has now handed over the sleigh to the new organisers and has thanked the public for their generosity.

He said: “We estimate that since the first sleigh took to the streets in December 1986 the public’s generosity helped us raise upwards of £400,000 for charitable purposes.”

Vice-chairman of Spalding Round Table, Matt Clark, has paid tribute to the hard work of the rotary club but is looking forward to carrying on this tradition.

He said: “As a child, I have memories of our local Round Table playing the role of Santa’s helpers on our local Santa sleigh. When the opportunity arose for the Spalding Round Table to take over the main Spalding sleigh, it brought back these fond memories and felt like a natural fit for our group.

“This beloved event will see the involvement of our larger Round Table family, with contributions from members of the 41 Club and Ladies Circle on the committee, management, and operations.

“We are deeply grateful to South Holland Rotary members for entrusting us with this cherished tradition and their very well-maintained sleigh, but mostly for the exceptional work they have done over the years in their running of the routes. The handover process has been seamless!

“While our primary goal in the first year is to ensure a smooth transition, we look forward to adding our own unique touches to this event, which we hope Santa will support us with.”

Do you have fond memories of the Santa’s Sleigh Run? Post a comment below…