Generous donations to Santa and his sleigh raised around £4,500 for charity this December.

For 21 evenings throughout the festive period, Father Christmas rode around Great Dunmow and villages in Essex to raise money for various causes supported by the Great Dunmow Round Table.

The route finished in Stebbing on December 21.

Jon Worby, chairman of the organisation, said: “Thank you to all the residents for coming out and supporting us, people came out in their droves.

“It’s good fun because it makes you feel a bit festive and you get to meet the residents.

“It’s for the kids faces, they come to the window and they stare and give him their letters.

“Magic is in the sleigh.”

Volunteers from the round table helped to put the event on – they all did at least six evenings throughout busy December.

The group would like to encourage all worthy causes to keep applying to them for funding in 2017.