Seaford Rotary

Getting the Sleigh Ready for Christmas

As winter approaches, Seaford Rotary wishes to let you understand the work involved throughout the year to permit Santa to visit the streets of Seaford in December.

After each Christmas collection, the sleigh is lifted off the electric vehicle and hung from the Rotary garage roof so that the vehicle may be used for other activities such as the Rotary boot fairs. In January a review meeting is held to identify and record successes and any problems encountered during December to inform the planning for the subsequent Christmas. A thank you will be submitted for publication in Seaford Scene that will inform Seaford of how much they donated to worthy causes. Mandatory financial returns to Lewes District Council are made for the House-to-House and the Broad Street collections within one month of the last collection.

In February the annual service of the electric vehicle is booked for November so that it is ready for the next Christmas collections. Applications are submitted to Lewes District Council for the House-to-House and Broad Street collections. Planning of the programme of routes is usually carried out between March and June. This includes consideration of new housing and changes due to numbers of children on routes noted in the review meeting. In addition, the stock of Santa outfits is reviewed to ascertain if any new outfits are needed, and if necessary new outfits ordered. In June, applications for parking permits for the Broad Street collections are submitted. The necessary cards that give permission for individual Rotarians and volunteers to collect door-to-door are prepared.

In August, the ‘The Board’ is produced. This lists the sleigh routes on each of the 17 December weeknights on which the sleigh goes out, and has spaces in which the names will be recorded of those who agree to carry out the Principal roles of Santa, Team Leader, Sleigh Driver, Support Driver as well as the collectors, both Rotarian and volunteer, each evening and for each Broad Street Saturday daytime collection. Another important activity during September is the ordering of 40kg individually wrapped sweets to be given out to children during the collections. By the end of September, the Principals should be identified and recorded on the Board.

In October recruitment of the collectors begins and details of the sleigh routes on the 17 weeknights in December are published on the Seaford Rotary website and are submitted to Seaford Scene for publication in November. After the electric vehicle has been serviced, the sleigh is lowered from the garage roof and mounted onto the electric vehicle. All equipment is tested so that it is in working order. Before December, the Principals and Rotarians generally will be briefed. In addition to details of the routes and dates, information about using the sleigh tracker will be published on the Club website.

Collections start on the first weeknight of December. On the morning of each evening collection Santa silhouettes will be mounted on lampposts along the route. In addition, the items for the sleigh – spare torches and tabards for the collectors, music and instructions for the evening will be checked. Emails are sent to all collectors giving details of where and when to meet, plus details of refreshments available after evening collections. Collectors are briefed by the Team Leader at the start of each round. Collections end at lunchtime on Christmas Eve in Broad Street.

If you would like to offer your services to accompany Santa collecting for charitable causes with Seaford Rotary, please email: contact@seafordrotary.org.uk or contact wwus at: www.seafordrotary.org.uk.

Photo: Santa in his sleigh in Seaford.