EXCITEMENT is mounting as entry to the first fund raising Santa Run in March is about to open, giving participants the chance to dress up in as Father Christmas and take a tour of the town.

All funds raised from the event on Sunday November 25 will to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), and everyone who enters can be provided with a suit for the big day.

The EACH Santa Run starts and finishes at the Oliver Cromwell Hotel at 11am, and the 2Km route is suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Rob Skoulding, a director of the Oliver Cromwell Hotel, said: “We hope to make the Santa Run an annual event, we are very much looking forward to welcoming all the Santas to the hotel.

“The hotel will be hosting a Christmas fair on November 24 and 25, and the Santa Run will be a very welcome addition to the weekend. The fair, with its 28 stalls from cakes to jewellery and paintings, will provide lots of shopping opportunities and Christmas entertainment.”

EACH fund raiser Beccy Turner, said: “We are really excited about doing a Santa Run in March. This is a real family event, it’s not a race, so you don’t have to be an expert runner. You can walk, jog or run. Even if you’re a spectator, you can have fun cheering on the Santas.”

“We need to raise �5.75 million in public donations to deliver our services this year. This amounts to �15,000 a day, every day of the year, which is why fund raising events such as the March Santa Run are so vital to the continuing work of EACH.”

Entries open on October 1. Adult entry costs �10 and includes a Santa suit, or �8 without a suit. Entry for those aged 13 and under is �5 and includes a Santa hat. Participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship. To register your interest call 01223 205180 or email fundraisingcambs@each.org.uk