DISASTER has struck a local service group after their festive sleigh was destroyed in a fire.

Turton Rotary Club have carried Santa around the street of North Bolton on the same sleigh for the past 30 years.

Tragically, the trusty steed was ruined in a fire at the Homespares warehouse at Firwood Industrial Estate, where the group stored the sleigh and their faithful Rudolph for most of the year.

Jim Turner, said: “As a club it's our main fundraiser of the year, and it has been for many years.

"The original sleigh was designed and built by students at Turton High School and the Rudolph was drawn by one of our old members, John Haslam, who left a long time ago.

"It's something that the kids love, and it's become part of local people's Christmas.

"A lot of people tell us that they really look forwards to it coming round, it's always lit up and playing music, so now we're looking at sleigh two, and we've had a fantastic response so far."

The sleigh’s destruction is a serious loss to the club, as it is one of their largest fundraisers each year, and brings an incredible amount of joy to local people.

Last year, volunteers from Turton, Bolton, and Le Moors Rotary Clubs spent over 225 hours walking the streets and standing at shopswith the sleigh to collect almost £7,000.

Over the past 30 years, this exact sleigh has raised over £250,000 for local charities.

Unfortunately, replacing the key prop could cost the club a significant amount of money.

One estimate to build a new sleigh exceeded £7,000, and as the club is in lockdown, the task ahead of them is even more difficult.

President of the club, Barry Jones, added: “This is an absolute disaster for us and our fund raising efforts.

“We know that the hundreds of children we see on the streets will be very upset if Santa and the snowmen are not seen in the run up to Christmas.”

The club are now in consultation with an organisation in the borough who stepped forward to offer their services to design and build the sleigh, but they will still need a significant amount of money to get Santa back on the road.

Trailer parts to allow the sleigh to be towed will account for a key portion of their fundraising goal, but money to cover the organisation’s expenses may also be needed.

Visit gofundme.com/replace-the-rotary-sleigh for more information and to donate to the appeal.