This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Banbury Cross Round Table Santa’s Float
01/12/2020
Organisers need our help to enable Santa’s annual tour of town this year
Details have been released for this year’s annual visit of Santa to Banbury and the surrounding villages, courtesy of the Banbury Cross Round Table. This year’s event will be very different due to the pandemic, but organisers are keen to give local people a bit of festive normality and bring Santa to see the area’s children.
Michael Round from Banbury Cross Round Table said: “With the COVID situation being ongoing we definitely wanted to make sure we could bring Santa out this year. This presents its own challenges and obviously there will have to be some changes to how we are going to operate so we can bring Santa to see as many children, but also do that safely and in a sensible manner.”
The team at the Round Table have had to draw up plans to ensure they can keep their members and the public safe, with extra time allowed for cleaning all the equipment they use between visits.
Key to this year’s organisation has been taking all the necessary steps to enable people to see Santa without allowing groups of people to form, which could jeopardise the whole event.
Mr Round acknowledged the challenge. He said: “Its always easier to give up when you are faced with more hurdles in front of you, but the motto of Round Table is ‘adopt, adapt and improve’. I think the circumstances this year definitely lent themselves to adapting what we were doing, so we can still run an event which a lot of people around Banbury look forward to every Christmas time.”
This year Santa’s float will be out for fewer nights, but will still cover as many of the normal areas are possible. To enable this organisers will be sticking more to the main roads through each area.
People are being encouraged to follow the “Santa tracker” on the Round Table’s website to see where Santa is as this is updated real time.
Here are this year’s dates. Santa will set off on his float each night around 5pm.
- Saturday 5th December – Bretch Hill and Park Road
- Sunday 6th December – Bloxham, Adderbury, Bodicote, Longford Park
- Saturday 12th December – Hardwick, Ruscote, Warwick Road
- Sunday 13th December – Poets corner, Easington, Cherwell Heights and Bankside
- Saturday 19th December – Queensway and Grimsbury
- Sunday 20th December – Hanwell Fields
Maps for each of the routes can be found on the Round Table’s website.
The Round Table are asking people to follow these rules to avoid putting the event at risk:
- If you live on one of the main roads that’s on the route please stay on your own property.
- Please wear a face covering / mask.
- If you are walking to a point to see Santa please stay away from other people and walk on the left-hand pavement where possible so you are never walking towards people.
- At any point where there appears to be a crowd Santa will have to move away so please ensure social distancing at all times to protect yourself and others.
Banbury Cross Round Table have been bringing Santa to Banbury and the surrounding villages for 30 years. Normally they collect funds which go to local charities. This year there won’t be a door-to-door collection, but people can still donate money:
- Go online to banbury.roundtablesanta.co.uk
- Text BANBURY space and the figures for how many pounds you wish to donate to 70450. Some networks may charge you a standard network rate to use this donation service. If you’re under 16, then ask the bill payer’s permission before texting.
All donations will be used for the benefit of charities and good causes in the Banbury area.
Full details and the Santa Tracker can be found on the Banbury Cross Round Table’s dedicated website.
You can listen again to our interview with Michael Round from the Banbury Cross Round Table here:
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam
Sheila Poole On 07/12/2020 at 1:38 pm
I dont live there but i know Santa left alot of children really sad last night(sunday)including my granddaughters for not going around longford park the way it was advertised.Bless her she should of been in bed,but she could hear the music and bells and was very excited only to be let down,disgraceful with everything going on as well