Santas on the Run! is taking place along Herne Bay's historic seafront on Sunday 10 December.

Location: Herne Bay Clock Tower, CT6 5JQ

Check-in desks will open at 9.30am (please do not arrive before this time).

There will be a warm-up performed by Active Life to provide some merry motivation before the fun run begins at 11am. 

Santa suits cannot be guaranteed for on-the-day entries.

Family tickets inc. 2 adults and 2 children under 18.

Early bird entry (closes 22/10/23)

• Adults - £12        Under 18 - £8        Family - £35

Advanced entry (closes 03/12/23)

• Adults - £16        Under 18 - £10        Family - £45

On the day

• Adults - £20        Under 18 - £10        No family ticket available

Every person that signs up in advance for Santas on the Run! will receive a 5-piece Santa suit including a jacket, trousers, hat, beard and belt. 

Santa suits for on-the-day entries are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.

You will be given your Santa suit at the check-in desks at the event.

However, if you want to turn up on the day suited and booted, we will be holding Santa suit collection evenings during the following times:

• Date: Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 December 2023
• Time: 16:00 - 18:30
• Location: Ann Robertson Centre, 55 London Road, Canterbury, CT2 8HQ

Adult Santa suits are one-size-fits-all so please do not try your suit while at the collection evening.

If you have questions regarding the Santa suit collection dates please email us at rachael.edmed@pilgrimshospices.org

Since 2017, Santas on the Run! has raised over £178,000 for Pilgrims Hospices. The charity relies on these donations to provide more than 1,400 hours of specialist nursing care to patients living with an incurable illness each year. But we couldn't do it without you! 

Every pound you raise will make a difference to the families being cared for this Christmas. You'll be helping patients and their families enjoy the festive season together and make memories that they can treasure.

This Christmas, your fundraising could pay for:

• £12 could pay for a patient's Christmas dinner
• £20 could pay for a physiotherapy session to help patients stay active and enjoy festive games with their families on Christmas day
• £50 could pay for a Christmas tree to bring Christmas to our hospice family rooms
• £100 could pay for a therapy session for a child coping with the loss of a loved one over the festive season

You can open an online sponsorship page here, or download a sponsorship form to print at home.

If you'd rather not ask for sponsorship, why not consider making a personal donation towards the care we provide? You can donate during the online entry process or at any time on our website, at our hospices in Ashford, Canterbury or Margate, or on the day of the event.

Don’t forget to encourage your sponsors to tick the Gift Aid box if they’re eligible. For every £1 donated, we’ll be able to claim an extra 25p from the government at no cost to you or your sponsors. It makes a huge difference.

Check-in desks will open at 9.30am. All Santas who have signed up in advance will need to check in on the day so that we know you are at the event. You will collect your Santa suit at registration if you haven't done so already. Please do not arrive before this time as our Santas won't have finished setting up. 

If you haven't registered in advance, you will need to head to 'on the day' registration to sign up. Please note that Santa suits cannot be guaranteed for on-the-day entries.

All registration desks will close at 10:40am to enable everyone to take part in the warm-up. 

• The warm-up will begin at 10:45am.
• Your fun run will begin at 11:00am 

The fun run will be generously supported by members of our local community who will be volunteering their time to marshal the route. They will be on hand to guide you and cheer you along the route. 

When out on the route, please keep an eye out for signs to direct you to turn off for the 3k split, 5k split and 10k split. 

You can also view route maps on our website or from your smartphone with the Pilgrims Hospices Event App, available on the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android.

Each route has been designed to create a fun run for the whole family, but there may be parts of the route where wheelchairs and buggies will struggle. If you have a query please contact us at rachael.edmed@pilgrimshospices.org and we can provide more details on the routes. 

Each route has been designed to create a fun run for the whole family, but there may be parts of the route where wheelchairs and buggies will struggle. If you have a query, please contact us at rachael.edmed@pilgrimshospices.org and we can provide more details on the routes. 

All of our routes will be fully marshalled and we will have a medical support team in attendance on the day. If you have a problem whilst out on the route, please either: 

• Tell your nearest marshal who will contact the organiser of the event to send our medical support team to you.
• If there's a medical emergency, please call 999 before notifying your nearest marshal.

If you have any health concerns, please consult your GP before taking part. It's recommended that you're able to run or walk at least 75% of your chosen distance comfortably beforehand. The emergency services are aware that the event is taking place. 

There will be a water station at the 5k turnaround point servicing 5k and 10k runners.

There will also be a water station at the finish line.

We ask that you bring a refillable water bottle with you on the day as this will reduce the amount of plastic being used, thank you. 

Unfortunately, dogs won't be able to join you at Santas on the Run! This is as we can't cater for them, and it can be difficult to manage dogs on leads among the hundreds of people taking part, especially during busier or more crowded sections of the route.

However, we do think dogs make for great training companions! 

Santas on the Run! is all about bringing family and friends together to celebrate the festive season.

We encourage spectators to join our Christmas cheer stations located along the route, or at the finish line. 

Children of any age can take part in Santas on the Run! but under 18s must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

You can download a parental consent form below for your fun run. 

Parental consent forms will also be available at check-in desks on the day. 

Getting to Santas on the Run! in Herne Bay 

Santas on the Run! is taking place in a central location of Herne Bay so that it is accessible to all. There is street parking located close to the event venue as well as pay and display car parks. If you are travelling via public transport, there are multiple bus stops along Herne Bay High Street which is a 5-minute walk from the venue. Alternatively, Herne Bay train station is a 25-minute walk from the venue. 

Car park examples:

• Beach Street car park - Beach Street, CT6 5PL
• Market Street car park - Market Street, CT6 5PP

Please collect and send in your sponsorship by 31st January 2024 so we can announce the grand total raised by Santas on the Run! and thank you for all of your fundraising efforts.

You can either hand in your sponsorship at your nearest Pilgrims hospice or send sponsorship to:

• Supporter Relations, Pilgrims Hospices, 56 London Road, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8JA.

If you have fundraised via JustGiving or have donated via the Pilgrims Hospices website there is nothing extra you need to do. The money you've raised will come directly to Pilgrims automatically. 

Please note: If you have raised sponsorship purely online via a JustGiving page, we will send you an official thank you letter for your total after the 31st January hand-in date.