VOLUNTEER members of a local charity fundraising club who have raised tens of thousands of pounds for good causes have found themselves under fire on social media for 'cancelling Christmas'.

The Rotary Club of East Thurrock [https://thurrock.nub.news/n/santa39s-set-for-a-sleigh-ride-around-east-thurrock [L+]has been operating its annual Santa's Sleigh runs around the east of the borough over recent nights [.L]but in the wake of the government's decision yesterday to elevate the borough to Tier Three Covid-19 status from midnight tonight (Tuesday, 15 December) they felt it would not be prudent to carry on.

The club issued the following statement last evening: "For a number of evenings we have had the pleasure of bringing Santa to the streets of Corringham. You donated money on line, but more importantly you donated happy smiles, excited waves and we watched a fair amount of singing and dancing to our tunes we don't mind telling you.

"Following the announcement from the government, we feel as a responsible community group we cannot complete our routes this week as we had planned. It is not a decision we have taken lightly, but with the increased Covid risk and restrictions, we cannot bring Santa to you safely, and have cancelled the remaining routes for this year. We are so very sorry but safety must come first in this crazy world we all find ourselves currently in.

"From us all, thank-you for your support this year, it has been truly amazing. With just 11 sleeps to go, we wish you, your friends and families a very Happy Christmas and we'll see you along the routes in 2021."

Club members then found themselves shocked at the response by a number of people to the decision.

One resident wrote on the club's thieves stole the generator from the sleigh while they were packing up following an evening's fundraising in Fobbing. However, the club rallied round, sourced a new generator through their own donations and carried on with Christmas. Sadly, this time that spirit of generosity has been beaten by Covid-19.

"It's very sad and it wasn't a decision taken lightly but at the end of the day we felt it was the safest thing to do for all concerned. We are sorry people are disappointed but we promise we will be back next year," said a spokesperson for the club.

Last year the sleigh travelled 167 miles along 98 roads in East Thurrock supported by 33 volunteers who gave up 248 hours of their time, handed out 2,300 Christmas cards and 11kg of sweets. Their efforts raised£6,068.68.