Santa hitches a ride on Rotary float

As they were resting, Rudolph and his team of reindeers couldn’t make the journey so the iconic festive figure used a float provided by the Rotary Club of Leighton Linslade instead.

Bands of willing elf assistants from local youth organisations, charities and PTAs turned out for the house-to-house collections which raised nearly £13,000, beating last year’s record by £1,200 – a fantastic amount.

The money will be shared between Rotary and the 20 organisations that helped at the event.

Santa was back in Leighton Buzzard on Christmas Eve, making a guest appearance at the traditional High Street carol singing, again organised by Rotary, with the Salvation Army providing the music.

The windy weather didn’t deter the many thousands who sang along with the carols to start their Christmas celebrations. A record sum of £3,000 was raised which will be shared by Rotary and the Salvation Army.

Rotary president Ian Summerfield praised local people for their generosity and said: “It shows how charitable the folk of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade really are.”

He wished everyone a great 2017 and invited people to visit the website – www.leightonlinsladerotary.com – to find out about other events the club will be organising.

> Next up is the annual Brain of Leighton quiz. It takes place on Monday, March 6 at Cedars Upper School.

More details soon.