Staff from the Wimbledon branch of fashion retailer Jack Wills have raised over £1,000 to fight malaria after completing a 10K Santa Run dressed in full Father Christmas regalia.
Donning red suits and white beards, the 10 santas negotiated the Greenwich Park course on Sunday December 9 in aid of Malaria No More UK, with the charity’s mascot Mozzy Man for company.
One member of the team was sales assistant Emma Fitzgerald, 23, who had a very personal reason for taking up the challenge.
She saw the effects of malaria at first hand when her father unknowingly suffered from the disease during a family holiday three years ago.
"It was terrifying how malaria wears someone down," she said. "Dad lost three stone in a week and, by the end, he could hardly walk or even string a sentence together.
"The treatment saved his life and I want to do all I can to stop people suffering like Dad did."
James Whiting, Malaria No More UK’s executive director, ran alongside Team Jack Wills and added: "We’re thrilled that our partnership with Jack Wills is going from strength to strength.
"I was in Senegal two weeks ago where I saw that a Santa Run saves children's lives - just £5 for a mosquito net can allow children to live in safety."
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