I would like to express my thanks to the people of Chippenham.

We have just completed our tour of the town with our Father Christmas float and have been delighted and extremely grateful for the level of support. We were made to feel that we were seen as the beginning of the Christmas season and the amazement and delight on the faces of the little ones at the sight of Santa made even the coldest of nights seem warmer.

We collected £5,365 during ten evenings in the town, two mornings at Safeway and a day at Whitehall Garden Centre. We are also grateful to those businesses for their support.

This huge boost to our charity fund will be put to good use during the coming year.

We aim to support the Naomi House children's hospice, the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and many other local causes. We will also be delivering hot Christmas lunches to people who will be alone at Christmas.

None of this would be possible without the support of the people we met during the last two weeks. Warmest thanks and best wishes for a happy Christmas.

B Hearn

President

Lions Club of Chippenham