MORE than 100 Father Christmas’ were seen dashing through War Memorial Park on Sunday raising money for a good cause.

Fundraisers were in seasonal spirits as runners lined up to take part in this year’s Pelican Cancer Foundation’s Festive Fun Run.

Members of Basingstoke Deane Rotary volunteered as marshals, and family and friends turned out to cheer on the runners. Fitness First provided the warm-up and Phillips Solicitors sponsored the run.

All the proceeds raised from the event go towards Pelican’s clinical research into advancing precision surgery in the treatment of bowel and prostate cancers.

As well as the sprinting Santas, youngsters at the event enjoyed meeting the farm animals brought to the park from Millers Ark and refreshments were provided by Café 2 You.

Pelican Chief Executive Sarah Crane thanked everyone for supporting the charity and handed out medals to the runners.

She said: “A massive thank you to everybody who helped to make this Festive Fun Run even bigger and better than last year. We were proud to hold the event back in Basingstoke for a second year and the local community has supported our charity with great enthusiasm.”

To donate or find out more about the Pelican Cancer Foundation, visit pelicancancer.org.