Hundreds of Santas donned their trainers to raise money for hospice patients.

The Hospice of St Francis hosted its annual Santa Dash in Hemel Hempstead on December 9, with more than 300 Santas, including those with four legs, taking part.

Dashing for the first time were Sarah Harrison, 26, operations manager at Amersham-based care company Ashridge Home Care, and her colleague, 30-year-old head of care, Hannah Powell, who brought along her chihuahuas Delilah and Tilly to enjoy the festive fun.

Sarah, who lives in Amersham, said: “Neither of us have ever done Santa Dash before but I saw that it was taking place and as I work in palliative and end-of-life care, the work the Hospice does is very close to my heart and I wanted to do everything I could to support that.

“It was such good fun, a great festive atmosphere and the community spirit was really strong. The dogs loved it too and it was just fantastic to be part of something that brings everyone together for a great cause.”

Also making their debut were physiotherapist Kate Berman, 32, and her husband Nick, 30, of The Rise, Amersham, who completed the dash with their one-year-old daughter Emily in a carrier on Nick’s back, along with Kate’s sister Hannah Pascoe, 28, her husband Jack, from Welwyn, her mum and dad and their labradoodle.

Kate said: “We did it because of the great support the Hospice is currently giving a close family member and so far we’ve raised over £200 and counting to help them do that.

“We’ve never done it before but it was great fun. We all enjoyed doing something so positive, we got chatting to lots of other nice people and everyone was very motivating all the way round.”

“Emily was a bit bemused by seeing all the red Santas but she loved wearing her little antlers and Santa hat and she very much enjoyed a mince pie at the end. We’ll definitely be back.”

Hospice events fundraiser Nicky Maxwell-Braithwaite said: “We’re so grateful for the amazing support we’ve received not only from all our volunteers, marshals and 320 Santas, but also from Mike Penning, Daniel Fox, Riverside Shopping Centre and everyone else who contributed in any way. We couldn’t have done it without you.”