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Schedule...

• Registration opens at 9.00am
• Royal Brass Band Performance (First Set) – 9.00am – 9.30am
• Performance – 9.30am – 10.20am
• Mini Dash warm up- 10.00am
• Mini Dash 100m dash – 10.10am
• Warm up Santa Dash – 10.25am
• Magical snow falling and countdown – 10.30am
• Mince pie and Christmas carols from 10.45am
• Contemporary Choir – 10.45am

Everyone must register on the day – this year there is no pre event check-in.

 

Santa Suit and T-Shirt Collection...

If you have chosen to have a Santa Suit or Santa Myton T-Shirt, you will be able to pick these up from Warwick Myton Hospice on Saturday 2^nd December, 10am-1pm, or Wednesday 6^th December, 4pm-7pm.

You can also pick up your suit or t-shirt on the day of the Santa Dash, Sunday 10^th December at Victoria Park, Leamington Spa, CV31 3PH.

Everyone must register on the day of the event, picking up Santa suits and t-shirts does not automatically register participants.

 

Location...

We ask that all festive fundraisers gather at Victoria Park, Leamington (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 Santa Dash medal 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!

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 awarded by Lala’s Pet Treats.

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.

Alfa Med 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 and Christmas games. . You can also get some festive cheer from our Christmas market stalls.

Fun for all the family, children can also take part in our Mini Dash. Starting at 10am, the Mini Dash is open for children under the age of 12, receiving a medal from Santa himself!

Treat yours-elf with a breakfast from The Urban Greek and after the dash, have a well-deserved mince pie and mulled wine. You can enjoy the variety of Christmas performances. You can sing along to the classic carols to get you into the Christmas spirit - it’s the time that every Santa has a ball after all! 

Laura and Owen’s life was turned upside down in March 2020. Not only were they experiencing Covid-19 and the national lockdown, but Owen had just been diagnosed with bowel cancer that had spread to his liver. To add to the rollercoaster they were already on, the couple found out they were pregnant two weeks later.

 

Laura said:

“Our lovely Luna was born on 18^th December 2020. Throughout my pregnancy, Owen underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a liver resection and then more chemotherapy. When Luna was only two weeks old, Owen had an emergency stoma surgery. A time that should’ve been the most magical with a new-born was ripped from us. Owen then went through clinical trials and we decided to go abroad for holistic treatment.

 

“A light during this time was our proposal. Owen proposed to me just hours after Luna was born and we married on 17^th May 2021, whilst he was in the middle of his clinical trial.”

 

Owen was receiving palliative care from September 2021 and was admitted to Warwick Myton Hospice on 7^th December.

 

Laura added:

“At this time, we thought we would only be at Myton for a couple of days. But thankfully we managed to celebrate Luna’s first birthday as a family, Owen didn’t wake up from the 22^nd, and then he died on the 27^th. He had just turned 40.

 

“The whole thing was awful. We expected each new day to be the last. At this time of year, especially for our family with Luna’s birthday, it should be a time of celebration, fun and laughter surrounded by everyone you love, yet we were dealing with every family’s worst nightmare.

 

“But Myton made everything a little bit more manageable. They were amazing, reassuring me that they were here for me and Luna as much as they were for Owen.”

 

Due to Covid, families couldn’t stay in our relatives accommodation, but Laura and Luna were able to use one of the flats as a base for feeding and naps during their visits. Friends and family were able to stay with Laura to help care for Luna.

 

“Having that space to care for my child whilst still being so near to Owen was invaluable. With the help of friends and family, it meant so much to me that I could be present with Owen when he was awake and not be preoccupied with sorting Luna. Even the little things, like bringing our dog to see Owen meant the world to us. Our cocker spaniel, Bodhi, visiting was so lovely for us all.”

 

Spending the Christmas period at Myton was hard for Laura.

 

Laura said:

“Myton reminded us it was Christmas time. Whilst we were there, we were so caught up with making the most of our final days with Owen that it didn’t really feel like Christmas. Myton’s Santa Sleigh was at the hospice one day so I took Luna to meet Santa Claus which was so lovely. Seeing her face light up at the sight of him was amazing. Looking back, it was important to celebrate our last Christmas with Owen.”

 

Laura looks back at her time at Myton with both happy and sad memories:

 

“Having Myton’s support at the worst time of our lives was a blessing. If it wasn’t for Myton, Owen would’ve been in hospital, meaning I couldn’t have seen him. Myton gave me that time with him and I can’t repay them for that. We were able to be a family and I can’t put into words how important that is to me.

 

“From the doctors to the nurses, and the volunteers, everyone was amazing. They made sure Owen was comfortable and not in any pain. He deteriorated rather quickly so knowing he was comfortable reassured me. They really looked after us.

 

“Christmas is meant to be the time for celebration, but for us it will always be about remembering my husband and Luna’s dad.”

 

With your sponsorship and fundraising this Christmas, you can help more people like Owen, Laura and Luna when they need us most, now and in the future.

Help us reach our £40,000 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.