MORE than 70 Santas hurtled through Braintree on Sunday to raise money for a children's charity.
The second Braintree Santa Run raised £2,000 for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), the charity the Duchess of Cambridge chose to be patron of earlier in the year.
Seventy-three Santas – including MP Brooks Newmark and council leader Graham Butland – set off at 10am from George Yard Shopping centre to make the two-kilometre dash through town, Weavers Park and back to the bandstand.
Among the competitors was Dan Bentley, a Paralympian who won a gold medal at Beijing and a bronze at London 2012 in Boccia, a game similar to bowls.
Jo Colbert, EACH Essex Partnerships Manager, said: "We're delighted that our second Santa Run has been supported so well by local families.
"It was a wonderful festive sight to see the bandstand packed full of Santas and children.
"The money will help provide vital care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions".
Braintree District Council leader Graham Butland, who is also chief executive of EACH, ran the lap with his dog, Eddie, an Irish terrier.
"It was excellent. I completed the run but it was not exactly in record time. It was less of a run and more of a wobble," he said.
But he was less happy to be beaten by Braintree MP Brooks Newmark. "He always beats me," added Mr Butland, "he's competitive and flies off with some of the younger runners."
Xpect Health & Fitness led the Santas in their warm-up and the Braintree Army Cadets marshalled the route.
The community choir, Vocal Reflections, also helped bring a festive feel to the town by singing carols and Christmas songs.
The youngest runner was two-year-old Queenie Miller, who took part with her family and also won the Best Dressed Child, with the prize of a cuddly reindeer.
