Thousands of Cheshire school children will be getting fit and 'Elfie' this Christmas whilst raising vital money for St Luke's Hospice in Winsford.
Schools, nurseries and pre-schools are once again being invited to sign up for an 'Elf Run' to raise funds for patient care at the hospice.
The festive fundraiser managed to raise an incredible £66,000 for patient care last year, with a total of 65 schools and 11,431 children taking part.
This year the St Luke's Community Fundraising Team are hoping to do even better.
Angela Slack, St Luke's Community Partnerships Manager, said: "We were so grateful for the support of all the schools and nurseries that got involved with the Elf Run last year. They helped to make it one of our biggest fundraising events and we want to take it even further this year, with more schools and more children having fun and raising funds for their local hospice.
"We would also like to say a huge thank you to Mornflake for their continued backing of our Elf Run. Their kind support helps us to run this kind of event year after year which proves vital in enabling our nurses to continue to provide care to the community."
Schools and nurseries are tasked with setting a day side for 'Elf' activities which could be anything from a one mile run, an assault course or a themed PE lesson.
St Luke's provides all the materials for a fun-filled day including Elf Hats, stickers and each participating school receives a Santa suit and Elfie Selfie frames.
Berkeley Academy, Crewe took part for the first time and classmates are looking forward to donning their Elf headgear once again.
Headteacher Carolyn Brown said: "We took part in St Luke's Elf Run last year for the first time and the children absolutely loved it! As a school, we wanted to support St Luke's as it is a local charity that is close to many of our family's hearts.
"It was something that the whole school could participate in from our nursery children, right up to our year 6's. The children all wore their Christmas jumpers and Elf hats and they had so much fun. It was fantastic to see so many happy, smiling faces.
"We are really looking forward to doing it again this year and hopefully raising lots more money for such a wonderful cause."
Once again, the 'Elf Run' will be sponsored by Crewe-based Company Mornflake, which not only sponsors the event but also provides a tasty porridge pot to each child that takes part, promoting a healthy diet.
Angela added: "As well as benefitting the hospice, our Elf Run helps to promote a healthy, active lifestyle so it's a perfect partnership with Mornflake as a large local employer renowned for championing health and wellbeing from a young age."
To host an Elf Run contact the St Luke's Community Team on 01606 555697 or community@slhopsice.co.uk for an information pack.