Published Wednesday 16 December 2020 at 16:15
A boxer from Preston recently pulled Santa’s sleigh all the way from Fleetwood to Kirkham to raise money for local charities, including Blackburn’s Secret Santa and Child Action North West.
Bill Hodgson manually pulled the sleigh an incredible 26 miles – with Santa on board – on Saturday, December 12 in what he named ‘Santa’s Slog’.
He was accompanied by an imitation of the Coca Cola Christmas truck, sponsored by Pete Marquis of Preston, which took donations from the public along the way.
The campaign has already raised £50,000 but Bill is hoping to reach his target of £60,000 which will be split equally between seven charities.
Donations are still being taken on Bill’s GoFundMe page: https://gf.me/u/y8kpv8
Bill Hodgson said:
Santa’s Slog was part of my mission to help these charities in the recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
Thank you to all the people that supported the ‘Slog’ – it was a phenomenal day. The streets were packed and it was great to see so many smiling faces.
However, this is not the end. We need to hit £60,000 so that the charities can survive. Please donate if you can.
Councillor Phil Riley, Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
This year has presented many challenges to local charities who rely on events and other activities to raise money. Despite this, they have continued their vital work to support communities and help those in need.
Bill has done something very brave and unusual to fundraise for these charities at a time when they need it most. I congratulate him on tackling this challenge and encourage everyone to donate.
The funds will be split between charities: Child Action Northwest, Secret Santa Blackburn, Donna’s Dream House, The Space Centre Preston, Rock FM Cash For Kids, Kirkham Food Bank and Kirkham Integrated Stroke Support KISS.