There was an early sighting of Santa in the streets of Lutterworth when Hinckley & Rugby Building Society staff member Hitesh Gohil warmed up for the townâs fifth annual Santa Fun Run.

The Society is once again backing the run, donating £1,000 to pay for the medals presented to the runners of all ages who take part in the charity event.

Last Christmas more than 870 runners donned Santa’s red and white costume to raise more than £12,000 for several local and national charities.

Event co-ordinator John Turner and Hinckley & Rugby customer assistant Hitesh Gohil limbered up for the 2013 Great Lutterworth Santa Fun Run by donning Santa suits in the town’s market square.

The run is on Sunday December 1 and entrants can register right up to the day itself. Hinckley & Rugby has been involved as a major sponsor of the event ever since its inception. It is organised by Lutterworth Rotary Club and The Rotary Club of Lutterworth Wycliffe.

The Society has a branch in the town and is a keen supporter of the event, which in its first four years raised more than £55,000 for charities including the Air Ambulance and the Lutterworth Mayor’s Appeal. This year the fun run will also be supporting Orchid, Menphys and Arthritis Research UK.

John Turner said: “We rely very much on the generous goodwill of the businesses which sponsor the event. The support we get from Hinckley & Rugby Building Society and other organisations means all the money raised by the runners can go to the good causes.”

Each runner gets a Santa suit, hat and beard to take part. There are two courses, one is 5.7km and the second is 4km – runners, including children, choose which one to tackle.

Hinckley & Rugby’s six runners include customer assistant Hitesh Gohil, who first ran the race in 2011 and is promising to be better prepared this time. Hitesh said: “There is a bit of competition brewing amongst the lads in the branches and at the Society head office.

“Hinckley & Rugby is very pleased to be supporting this fundraising event which is such good fun. It’s quite a sight to see all the Santas running.”

To find out more about the Santa Fun Run and to register, visit: www.santafunrun.org.uk