We’re super-excited because Father Christmas is making his way through Brighton and Hove on the Santa Bus while raising money for 20 charities – including Switchboard.
This is the 20th year he has made the journey with Brighton & Hove Buses, travelling in style on an open-topped double-decker decorated with 10,000 lights.
As the bus visits more than 200 streets, Santa is waving from the top deck and bellowing “ho, ho, ho!” against a backdrop of cheerful Christmas music.
Over 20 nights until 22 December, he is criss-crossing the city, setting off about 5.30pm each night before finishing his shift with his elves about three hours later.
From Patcham to Peacehaven, Southwick to Saltdean, and Wish to Whitehawk, you can follow his every movement via this tracker.
When you see Santa, we’d really appreciate it if you could give him a cheer and donate whatever you can afford.
As Santa himself told his hosts: “Wouldn’t it be absolutely splendid if we could raise as much money as possible for all these amazing charities, especially in our 20th year. Happy 20th anniversary to us all!”
You can help support the Santa Bus by:
- donating via GoFundMe or at one of the Santa Bus Collection Points
- being a Santa Bus Collection Point. Click here to learn more and sign up.
- by sharing all this information with your friends and colleagues about how they can donate
- or finally – you can help support the Santa Bus by just coming out and giving Santa a smile and a wave.
We’re extremely grateful to Brighton & Hove Buses for their kind and generous support via the Santa Bus, which has raised more than £375,000 for local charities and organisations since it began in 2003.
This year, besides Switchboard, it is raising money for Martlets Hospice, Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice, MNDA, Sussex Homeless Support, Impact Initiatives, Grace Eyre, Choir With No Name, Take Shelter, Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, Racial Harassment Forum, The Hummingbird Project, Fareshare Sussex & Surrey, ABC Fund, Trust for Developing Communities, Chomp, Rise, Team Domenica, Rainbow Fund, and Moulsecoomb Forest Garden.
Further information about the Santa Bus, including videos, jokes, Santa facts, games, and details of how you can make your own Santa Bus, are available on Brighton & Hove Buses’ website.
You can also follow the Santa Bus on social media:
- X (formerly Twitter) – @brightonhovebus
- Facebook – @brightonbuses
- Instagram – @brightonhovebuses
You can find posts about the Santa Bus via the following hashtags: #SantaBus and #SantaBusStories