Decorated Vehicles Bring Joy to Charity Fundraisers

A woman is utilizing her festively adorned Fiat 500 to spread cheer among numerous individuals raising funds for a children’s charity this Christmas. Tracie Skinner, residing in Cannington, near Bridgwater, annually affixes a large Santa hat to her vehicle and plans to drive it to a fun run benefiting Children’s Hospice South West on 8 December. “When people see it, it always raises a smile,” she stated. Ms. Skinner will be accompanied by Robin Bendall, from Nether Stowey, who has similarly decorated his 1979 MG Midget Frogeye Sprite replica with a Christmas theme, featuring reindeer antlers and a red nose. “We get a lot of hooting and waving, there’s a lot of double-takes,” Mr. Bendall commented. Ms. Skinner received her car at the age of 16, but developed the festive concept several years later. This initiative has since helped her collect thousands of pounds for various charitable organizations. “One day I looked at the Fiat and thought, ‘I wonder if I could fit a Santa hat on the top’,” Ms. Skinner recalled. “It was quite a job as we had to design it and make sure we could make it fit on the roof securely and safely.” She recounted an instance one year when she was pulled over by police in Taunton while driving and “panicked a bit.” “But I needn’t have worried, the officers just wanted a selfie picture with the car,” she explained. Mr. Bendall purchased his car eight years ago at an auction and obtained a set of antlers from a farmer before deciding it would be enjoyable to attach them to the vehicle. “We put a red nose on the front of the car and because of the design, it looks like it’s smiling,” Robin added. “I hope the cars will bring an extra bit of Christmas cheer to Santas on the Run,” he expressed. The fun run, scheduled at Charlton Farm in North Somerset, will involve hundreds of participants completing a 1.2-mile (2km) course around the grounds of the Wraxall site, all dressed in festive costumes.