Santa’s sleigh to ride through Leopold

THE Leopold Fire Brigade will be the first in a series of Santa runs across the Bellarine starting from next week, as firefighters do their bit to help Saint Nicholas visit as many children as possible ahead of Christmas day.

This year’s Santa run will take place on Thursday, December 19 and begin at 6pm, with three separate routes once again planned for the township.

Route one will see Santa begin at Daisley Reserve Playground, before travelling to Kangaroo Paw Drive Playground, Gateway Sanctuary and concluding his run at the Leopold Memorial Reserve.

Route two will see Santa set out from Allambie Street Playground.

He will then ride through Allanvale Avenue Playground, Paech Park Playground and Grassland Grove Playground.

Santa will start his third route at the Leopold Primary School and end the run at Terrigal Court Playground at 7.30pm. He will also pass through Rebecca Reserve and Jessie Way Playground.

Leopold Fire Bridge captain Chris Wilkinson said the whole community looks forward to the Santa run each year.

“As long as I can remember, there is a link between Santa and the back of the fire truck in regional Victoria,” he said.

“Our people do what they do to give back to the community, and often on a really bad day for the community members.

“It’s just so very good to be able to participate in the community in an environment that is entirely positive.”

He said the occasion was time for family, both inside and outside of the fire brigade, and being involved in that family time and seeing children running around having a good time, created a warm and enjoyable atmosphere.

Santa and his helpers will spend about 10 to 15 minutes at each location before moving on.

“Unfortunately, the nature of our business, if we are called away to an emergency, then we may miss certain places and we appreciate the public’s understanding in that circumstance, and hope it doesn’t happen,” Mr Wilkinson said.

For more information, including updates on the day of the run, keep an eye on the Leopold Fire Brigade’s Facebook page.

The Bellarine’s remaining fire brigades are also set to host Santa runs for their respective communities this year, with announcements about dates and locations to come.