Ipswich was awash with a sea of red as hundreds of Santas and their little helpers ran around the town centre.

Cries of ‘ho, ho, ho’ filled the air as nearly 300 people took part in the Santa Run in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) yesterday.

The Santas, who all donned red Santa suits and white beards, were led through a warm-up on Ipswich Cornhill by Kay Fletcher, from Kay Fletcher Fitness, while youngsters from the choir at St Joseph’s sang traditional Christmas songs.

Patsy Johnson-Cisse, EACH Suffolk fundraiser, said: “We are absolutely over the moon with the response to the Santa Run and to see everyone’s faces as they set off was just magical.

“The festive spirit shone through as hundreds of people enjoyed a Christmassy event.

“A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped out yesterday and made Santa Run possible.”

Around 250 people pre-registered to take part while approximately 40 signed up on the day for the 3km fun run which finished at the Town Hall.

She added: “We’ve made about £7,000 from the Santa Run which is just incredible.

“We’d also like to thank St John Ambulance, Suffolk Foodhall for donating the mince pies, the Buttermarket Shopping Centre, Town 102 and event sponsors BDO.”

Among those taking part were teachers from St Matthew’s School, A-plan Insurance and children from Live Well Suffolk.

Ali Clements, from Live Well Suffolk, said: “This is a huge achievement for the young people and their families who signed up to our programme to lose weight and get fitter.

“They worked really hard throughout the year to improve their fitness by doing more physical activity and learning about health eating and they wanted to celebrate their achievements through this festive fitness event.”

Those who cheered on family and friends were entertained by a fire engine and the Speed McQueen car.