The annual collection made by members of Wigan Rotary Club in the company of Father Christmas throughout December 2019 has been a huge success with the total amount raised reaching £13,400. The club considers this a magnificent achievement by Wiganers. Wigan Rotary President Mervyn Reeves said ‘ I would like to thank all the residents, children and friends along the floats routes each evening and everyone in the Supermarkets for their terrific generosity, which will enable Wigan Rotary Club to support local, national and international charities to which we are committed. This support is an amazing testament for us and will encourage us to try even harder in 2020.’

Mervyn continued ‘we are extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity. We introduced Mrs Christmas to many children last year and she was well received by everyone, so she has been out in force this year when Santa was busy. All the participants are volunteers who willingly give up their time but in particular we would like to thank our sponsors, local firms, plus friends who helped us to fill the coffers. This help was absolutely invaluable.”

He finished by saying “finally my sincere thanks go to the local Supermarkets, Asda and Tesco, along with staff at The Grand Arcade and the Town Centre Manager, who all offered venues to facilitate collections, plus, last but not least, the invaluable support of local press who promote our activities throughout the year. What a wonderful example of community engagement”.