A Shropshire leisure boss has stepped up to ensure that a Telford Lions Club will be able to travel the streets of Telford with Santa and his sleigh again this December.
For the past 30 years Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions have accompanied Santa throughout the festive month, collecting money and food to help those in need and delighting the many local children who come out to meet him along the way.
But an annual inspection of the sleigh last month revealed that two new caravan batteries required to operate the sleigh’s lights and music were needed, as well as a considerable amount of money for other repairs.
Knowing they did not have the resources to fund everything the Lions approached Mark Bebb, boss of Salop Leisure, in the hope of successfully appealing for a couple of part-used batteries that would see them through December. Not for a moment, however, did they dare to believe the firm would make the generous offer of two brand new batteries, which is what happened.
John Marsh from Ironbridge Lions said: “Our club has been accompanying Santa on his annual visits to housing estates and supermarkets in the area for three decades, but it looked as if the visits would have to stop unless we get help with some of the maintenance issues we faced with the sleigh.
“When I got the call from Salop Leisure saying they had two brand new batteries ready for us to collect I couldn’t believe it. The club is hugely grateful to Mark Bebb for his generosity. He really has saved the day as with the sleigh being powered by Salop Leisure it means Santa won’t have to do his rounds on Shanks’s Pony!”
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