A charity bike run has raised £72,000 despite the fact that the event had to be cancelled.
Organisers plan.com were forced to pull the plug on the Santa’s on a Bike just days before the 2024 event was due to take place.
The run had been scheduled to take place on Saturday December 7 but was scrapped due to the forecast bad weather brought on by Storm Daragh.
A Met Office amber weather warning for strong winds kicked-in during the early hours of Saturday and remained in place for the rest of the day as gusts of up to 80mph battered the island.
.jpeg?width=209&height=140&crop=209:145,smart&quality=75)
.jpg?width=209&height=140&crop=209:145,smart&quality=75)
.jpeg?width=209&height=140&crop=209:145,smart&quality=75)
A disappointed spokesperson for plan.com described 2024 as a ‘landmark year’ for the Santa’s on a Bike as staff had hoped to wave the riders off from outside the company’s office on Victoria Street for the first time in the run’s history.
Announcing the cancellation last Thursday, plan.com Chief People Officer and event organiser Nicola Patterson said: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I officially announce the cancellation of Santa’s on a Bike 2024 this Saturday, due to the imminent arrival of Storm Darragh, bringing extremely high winds and heavy rain to the island.
‘This comes with huge disappointment to myself, the brilliant Santa’s on a Bike Team and absolutely everyone involved in the event, but we of course have to put the safety of our Santas first.’
Despite the stormy setback, organisers continued raising funds for charity behind the scenes.
Plan.com have now announced that a staggering £72,000 has been raised through the cancelled event.
All money raised will be donated to the island’s Rebecca House Children's Hospice.
Nicola said: ‘ [We’d like to say] a massive thank you to the Isle of Man Constabulary for their support and to every single one of you who has donated, given raffle prizes, decorated your bike, bought a Santa suit or a tombola ticket and everything else you’ve all done to get involved – we could not do it without you and I promise this will never put us off.
‘We were so excited to start this iconic island event outside our office this year so we will do everything in our power to get our Santa’s back on their bikes in 2025.’