ABOUT 300 Santas helped bring a touch of festive magic to Hereford city centre this morning, writes Paul Broome.

The fundraisers weren’t quite dashing through the snow but still brought a smile to the faces of Christmas shoppers.

All ages and abilities took part, choosing either a 2.5k or 5k route around Hereford, both distances beginning and ending outside Maylord Shopping Centre.

This year's Santa Run is likely to raise about £4,000 for St Michael’s Hospice.

Just completing the 5k run was an achievement for Chris Green, who has lost more than 10st this year.

"I absolutely loved it from start to finish. It was a great atmosphere," he said.

"Things just clicked into gear for me at the start of the year. It was almost as though I woke up on January 1 and thought, "This is the year I transform my lifestyle," and I've lost 10st 11lbs in 2019.

"I started a Couch to 5k and began running on my own about 14 weeks ago, but this is the first run I've done with other people."

After deciding to take part in the Santa Run, Chris set-up an online fund-raising page which has collected more than £200 for St Michael's.

"It's such a great opportunity to raise funds for an awesome cause," he added. "The hospice does such a great job."

The Santa Run follows on from the hospice's successful Christmas Grotto, which finished yesterday (Saturday).

St Michael's will once again be collecting real Christmas trees in the new year from properties in Hereford and some villages.

To book your collection, at a cost of £10, click here.

All pictures courtesy of St Michael's Hospice