Saddleworth Round Table's annual Santa Dash is geared up and set to entertain Uppermill on Saturday afternoon, with up to 1,250 enthusiastic Santas ready to take their place on the starting line.
The yearly event, organised to coincide with the Uppermill Christmas Lights Switch on, takes place in Uppermill Park and though numbers have been limited for Covid reasons, event organisers have made changes to safely accommodate as many runners as possible.
Event lead Andy Cuff said: “Our original allocation of 1,000 tickets sold out almost immediately. Not wanting to disappoint any families, we made some small changes to the event which meant we could get an extra 250 Santas out on the street - we can’t wait to see you all running again.”
And Uppermill Park will host a colourful choice to Christmas Market Stalls, mulled wine and festive food favourites from local retailers and charities.
Jack Massey, of Club 573 Bird Rescue, said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to showcase our hard work at such a fantastic event… we can’t wait to meet the people of Saddleworth this weekend.”
In addition to supporting charities, the event aims to encourage people spending money in their local area, supporting the businesses.
Andy Rothwell, head of business outreach at Saddleworth Round Table, added: "We would like to thank all sponsors, but particularly OMC who’s generous donation made all this possible. 2020 and 2021 have seen many events cancelled, and without such generosity we could never have created such a spectacle.”
John Arthurs, SRT's Handyman, also added advice to anyone wishing to traverse Uppermill or attend the event on Saturday.
He said: “The necessary road closures will mean substantial delays through the village between 1-6pm. If you’re travelling around the route please keep a look out for Santa’s and drive carefully.
“If you are attending the event, please take a lateral flow test on Saturday morning to keep yourself and others safe.”
And Round Table reserved special thanks to Oldham Council’s Jack Child for “going above and beyond” in assisting with administration.
Spectators and supporters can line Uppermill’s High Street from the park to the museum ready for the start at 2.30pm.
The traditional Santa parade and lights switch on with singing and carols begins at 4pm from Uppermill Park, with fireworks and live music as a finale.
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