Santa will be returning to DacorumSanta will be returning to Dacorum
Santa will be returning to Dacorum

Hemel Rotary Santa Sleigh: full list of times and dates that Santa will be visiting Dacorum streets

Money will be collected for local good causes as the sleigh spreads festive cheer

Here comes Santa Claus - as the Hemel Rotary Santa Sleigh returns.

The much-loved sleigh will once again be bringing some festive cheer to the streets of Dacorum

And as well as spreading Christmas spirit, the event also raises vital cash for local charities and organisations, with collections along the route and at its Just Giving page.

Tony Amies, member of the sleigh committee, explained: "The Rotary Santa Sleigh has now operated for four full years, and is a much-loved feature of Christmas in Dacorum.

"We have again engaged the support of local charities, who deliver leaflets along the 25 routes, and accompany the sleigh. This is a morale-boosting community event that brings joy to the children, and indeed to adults’ faces.

"We decided last year that we'd run it even if it was at a loss, because of the community spirit, but it turned out we didn't run at a loss at all.

"Much has been learnt coping with the Covid pandemic. The lockdown caused a cutback in the number of routes, but still over £13,000 was raised for local charities."

Collectors will no longer knock on doors as they travel around the streets - instead, people are being asked to come outside and greet Santa as he makes his rounds.

Money is collected at the roadside and leaflets will be handed out including details on how to donate.

This means that the procession proceeds faster - enabling Rotary to extend the routes to bring festive joy to even more children.

You can even track Santa's progress on the day at Christmas.trackit.247.com - the website will go live just before Santa is due to set off.

You can check whether your house is on a route, view maps of the route the sleigh will take and what date Santa will arrive there at the Santa Sleigh Street Finder website. Rotary is hoping that this year will see a return to a full schedule, but people are advised to check online for any last minute changes.

All routes begin at 6pm and end at 8pm.

The list of routes is correct as of time of publishing - but check the Street Finder for the latest updates.

Friday, December 10, Saturday, September 11, Thursday, December 16, Friday, December 18, Sunday, December 19 and Thursday, December 23 have been kept free to run any cancelled routes.

And as well as spreading Christmas spirit, the event also raises vital cash for local charities and organisations, with collections along the route and at its Just Giving page.

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