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Check-in:

Check-in on the day is from 8.30am.

There will be a warm-up for the Mini Dash (under 12s) at 8.45am and the 100m dash will start at 9am.

Check in for the main event is from 8.30am and everyone will set off at 10am following a dance warm up.

Check-in will be clearly signposted and located in Victoria Park, Leamington Spa. When you check-in please let us know how much sponsorship money you have raised so far; this will help us estimate how much the event has raised in total.

Pre check-in:

We will be holding a pre check-in at Warwick Myton Hospice (Myton Lane, off Myton Road, Warwick, CV34 6PX) on Saturday 3rd December 10am -1pm and Wednesday 7th December 4pm – 7pm.

You don’t need to bring anything with you, just give your details and the details of anyone else whose pack you might be collecting on their behalf. This will mean you don’t have to check-in on the morning of the event.

Location

We ask that all festive fundraisers gather at Victoria Park (CV31 3PH). If you have never seen hundreds of Santas gathered like this before you are in for quite a treat!

Route

Starting and finishing at Victoria Park, Santas and elves will run, walk or jog around the park and through Leamington Spa to complete their 5k. There will be clear signage throughout the route and there will be plenty of volunteer marshals to direct you and cheer you on!

Parking

There are plenty of parking facilities in Leamington Spa which are just a short walk away from Victoria Park:

St Peters multi-storey CV32 5EL (access via Augusta Place)

Adelaide Bridge CV31 3PD

Bedford Street CV32 5DT

Royal Priors multi-storey CV32 4XT

Dressing Up

Whatever festive attire you wear, please make sure you have suitable footwear and clothes underneath to keep you warm.

Medals

Everyone who completes the route will receive a bespoke environmentally friendly medal made from recycled wood, which can also be re-used as a tree decoration.

Best Dressed Dog

We’ve always encouraged well-behaved dogs to take part in our Santa Dash events, why not put your four-legged friends in the spotlight with our festive fancy dress competition – free of charge!

Whether they have a Christmas jumper, Santa suit or antlers to wear, dress your dog in something festive and enter them into our Best Dressed Dog competition. There will even be a prize for the top dog!

Why not raise some extra money for Myton by asking people to sponsor your dog too?!

Facilities

There will be public toilets located in Victoria Park.

First Aid

Please keep an eye out for other Santa dashers and should there be any issues please get in touch with the events team as soon as possible. If you are feeling unwell or need first aid please call the events team mobile: 07599 752835.

STS Medical will be on hand to deal with any incidents.

In the event of an emergency do not hesitate to call 999.

Please be aware that as the event is held in winter the weather conditions are likely to be more adverse, so please take care along the route and make sure you wear suitable footwear.

Refreshments and entertainment

As well as the big man himself along with his sleigh, there will also be an inflatable Snow Globe for photos and lots of festive activities for children to enjoy, including face painters, arts and crafts, a Slime Station and Christmas games.

Our main Santa Dash will start at the usual time of 10am, with the more serious runners amongst you starting at the front. There will be a mass dance warm-up before you set off and a Confetti Cannon start with Special Guest!

On your return to Victoria Park there will be a warm welcome over the finish line. Here the festive fun will be in full swing, so why not treat yourself to a well-deserved bite to eat and a hot drink, enjoy the musical performances from the Rock Choir and Leamington Spa Brass, and sing along to classic carols to really get you into the Christmas spirit.

Refreshments will be available to purchase on the day including The Myton Hospice’s Drinks Van selling an array of hot drinks such as festive hot chocolate, tea and coffee.

There will also be a pop up charity shop where you can find yourself a bargain or get some last-minute Christmas gifts, all whilst supporting Myton.

Emma Poole is 42 and has stayed on our Inpatient Unit at Coventry Myton Hospice a number of times. Emma and her family are also accessing our Counselling service and Emma has recorded messages for her four children aged 6 to 22 years with our Hospice Biographer.

Emma was diagnosed with Cancer five years ago and has had radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a number of operations.

In March 2022 Emma was told that her illness is terminal and that she is unlikely to live until Christmas.

Emma was first admitted to Myton in December 2021 for pain management.

When we asked Emma how she felt about coming to Myton, she said “I had heard of Myton before, one of my neighbours works here.

I was pleasantly surprised when I came – I have spent a lot of time at hospital over the last five years and the difference is huge.

All of the staff and volunteers are nice, everyone is really quick to help and you don’t wait long for medication.”

Emma describes Myton as a ‘home from home’. She added “It’s not just about end of life. I was exhausted when I arrived – I had barely slept for six weeks but on coming here I slept for hours and felt so much better in my self – I like coming in. It feels like home, friends and family can come when they want to and you are made to feel so comfortable. No-one should be scared of coming here.”

Since first coming to Myton Emma has done everything she can to fundraise and raise awareness for the charity.

Emma and her family have held raffles for Christmas and Easter hampers to raise money for Myton and they are arranging a Skydive. We think Emma is amazing and can’t thank her enough for her support!

We hope that you’re feeling inspired to raise as much sponsorship as possible, so we can support more people like Emma and her family when they need us most, now and in the future.

“It feels like home, friends and family can come when they want to and you are made to feel so comfortable. No-one should be scared of coming here.”

Emma and her family

Help us reach our £35,000 target!

You can rarely scroll through your Facebook newsfeed without seeing at least one fundraising page and that is because it is one of the most effective, easiest ways of encouraging families, friends and colleagues to sponsor you. By setting up a JustGiving page, you can share your fundraising page on Facebook and Twitter as often as you want to.

Having an online fundraising page also means you do not have to physically collect money after the event, plus Gift Aid is automatically calculated and processed.

To find out how to set up a JustGiving page click here.

Facebook Fundraisers

Facebook Fundraisers are a great way for people to donate to your event fundraising. Please let us know, by emailing the events team, if you set up a Fundraiser on Facebook; we receive limited information from Facebook which makes it extremely hard for us to link the donation to your fundraising otherwise.