Thousands raised for charity as Doncaster stand-in Santa hits village streets

Big-hearted Rossington resident Tony Archer sprung into action after hearing that the annual Santa sleigh tour of Doncaster by locals Lions clubs had been cancelled because of coronavirus.

Over the past few weeks Tony and his team have been surprising villagers young and old, touring the streets and spreading some much needed Christmas sparkle.

Dubbed “Rossington Santa,” Tony’s rounds have raised thousands of pounds in recent nights, with his latest visit last night being a series of socially distanced visits to Rossington’s three care homes.

He said: “You didn’t think we would go to all this effort then forget the care homes did you?

“Last night we visited all three in the village at pre-arranged times so the super staff had plenty of notice and could get everything ready and I’m pretty sure the residents loved it as much as we did.

"They have suffered as much if not more than anyone during this Covid situation so was nice to bring a bit of cheer to them.

“Well done Rossington, you truly are God’s village.”

In previous years, the annual event, organised by locals Lions clubs and which sees Santa touring the streets and villages of Doncaster in the run-up to the festive season, has been one of the most eagerly awaited Christmas events.

Doncaster Lions, Thorne Rural Lions and Went Valley Lions were all forced to cancel their tours because of Covid fears.