Crawley Borough Council mayor Jilly Hart was among those who popped by to help the man himself – in the guise of Francis Guidera – to steer his sleigh through the town’s neighbourhoods throughout December. Cash from the collections, along with a number of private donations, raised £1,456.64 for the school and college, which educate children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Mr Guidera, of Northgate, said he was very happy with the amount raised. He added: “Considering times are very tough for people, there was a lot of generosity out there.
“Not everyone could afford to put money in the pot but the fundraising was an added bonus – it was more about doing something fun.”
Santa and his little helpers raised the following amounts:December 12 – West Green – £78.53December 13 – Ifield West – £36.43December 14 – Ifield – £37.49December 15 – Gossops Green – £44.35December 16 – Bewbush – £86.63December 17 – Three Bridges – £22.40December 18 – Northgate – £61.26December 20 – Langley Green – £56.36December 21 – Pound Hill – £119.68December 22 – Southgate – £74.22December 23 – Tilgate and Furnace Green – £142.88.
Outings to Maidenbower on December 10 and Pound Hill on December 19 had to be abandoned.
Collections at Sainsbury’s, in West Green, on December 8 and 9 saw another £363.25 raised for KAANA, a charity for children with cancer in Uganda.
Tilgate councillor Maureen Mwagale runs a Christmas party for the youngsters each year.
In total, Santa and his sleigh raised £1819.89 for the two good causes.
Mr Guidera thanked Sainsbury’s and B&Q for their support as well as councillors Simon Piggott, Tina Belben and Brian Quinn, who all helped out on various days.
“Not everyone could afford to put money in the pot but the fundraising was an added bonus – it was more about doing something fun.”
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Santa and his sleigh raised more than £1,800 for good causes in December 2023: Image: Francis Guidera Photo: Francis Guidera