SANTAS of every age, height and waistline took part in the Young Lives Santa fun run on Sunday and are on target to have raised �1,000 for the charity.

Around 100 red-and-white-clad individuals took part in a nine-mile trek around Grafham Water for St Ives-based charity Young Lives and the British Heart Foundation.

Proving the speediest Santa of all was runner James Heaford who completed the course in just under an hour.

It was the second time the run has been held at Grafham Water and each participant was given a Santa hat, red coat, trousers and white beard.

Participants could opt to run, walk or cycle the course.

Fundraiser Kevin Burke said: “It went really well. We had a really good turnout. We think we are on target to have raised �1,000.”

Also this week every donation made to Young Lives through the Big Give website will be doubled. Each donation will be matched by an external sponsor, which can be a trust, a foundation, a private individual or a company.

Young Lives hope to raise �8,000 through the Big Give – the charity has already made �2,000 from the initial pledge phase, which ended on October 31.

All the money raised will go to Young Lives’ new localism project, The Dragons’ Den. Through the project, young people will have the opportunity to pitch for up to �1,000 in funding for a community project.

But instead of Deborah Meaden and Duncan Bannatyne making up the panel of dragons, it will be entrepreneurial young people in the hot seat.

Mr Burke added: “We want to give young people the chance to make projects that reflect their interests and show they are active citizens.”

INFORMATION: To find out more about the Big Give go to http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/project/13351 or https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/donate/donate.php?charity_id=8804