Santa’s Food Drive Returns for its 5th Year!
Thursday 10th December, 2026
What began as a simple lockdown initiative has blossomed into a beloved annual tradition!
Now in its fifth year, the Santa’s Food Drive aims to raise vital funds and collect door-to-door donations for our local food bank.
On Thursday, 10th December, expect to see Santa on his magical sleigh light-up the streets of Farsley from 5pm.
The parade sets off from The Weavers Yard in the heart of Sunny Bank Mills, where Santa is followed by a procession of festively dressed local volunteers.
Our mission? To spread joy while collecting supplies for the Food Bank from residents along their route.
The event has grown in success each year, requiring a second vehicle to transport donations of packaged food - including cereal, tins, pasta, toilet roll, and festive treats.
All donations are passed directly to the Pudsey Community Project, a local charity established by Pudsey Parish Church to provide resources for the community.
The drive will follow its familiar loop around Farsley between 5pm and 8pm.
Volunteers welcome residents to wave from their windows or meet them on the street.
While many residents kindly hand over bags of goodies, any contribution, big or small, is gratefully received!
Santa Stop-Off Points:
Farsley Library: approx. 6:00pm
Springbank Road: approx. 6:30pm
Mulberry Road: approx. 7:00pm
These stops offer a chance for families to join in, make a donation, and take a photo with Santa.
Pudsey Foodbank also accepts cash donations online via their website, helping them provide emergency parcels to those in crisis. Their primary goal is to assist individuals in improving their financial circumstances so they no longer need food parcels in the future.
Click here to see a map of the route
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Would you like to join us on the evening of the 10th December to help collect donations?
You’ll need to be able to walk for a bit of a distance (we do the tour of Farsley on foot) and ideally you’ll be happy to look as festive as possible!The Food Drive will start around 5pm and finish around 8pm, feel free to join us for some or all of the route!
We’d love help with the following on the evening:
Moving all of the Lanterns to the Weavers Yard
Carrying the large lanterns during the parade
Collecting food donations during the parade
Organising the donations once back at the Mill
Dropping donations back at Pudsey Parish Church
It's all very wholesome & festive!
Love to join us?
Click here to email Alex & let her know what you’re able to commit to on the night!
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Online Donations
If you would like to support this year’s Christmas Appeal we'd love for you to donate any amount you can online in advance to Pudsey Community Project. Click here to donateAll donations go towards helping PCP stock their Food Bank and keep up the essential work they do in the community!
Farsley Light Switch On
Leading up to the event you can also drop food off at our stall which will be outside Grumpy's on Wednesday 26th November.
Collections on the Night
Join us from your door steps on the evening of the 12th December to hand Santa your tinned and packaged goods as he passes by! Click the link below for ideas of the kind of things the Food Bank would like!
How it all started.....
Back in December 2020 Grumpy's joined forces with Alaina of Baere Accessories, Sarah Sax from Farsley Fire & Smoke, Matthew Laidler and Paul from Farsley Scaffolding to create a Community Lights Switch On during Lockdown in Farsley.
During the outdoor event Santa took to the streets on the back of Paul's van accompanied by Sarah and her Saxophone to bring some well needed Christmas cheer to the local community during the pandemic.
2022’s Cost of Living Crisis brought the team back together in December to raise funds for vulnerable people in the community, raising over £1300 plus a generous car load of food donations for Leeds North and West Food Bank.
Santa toured the streets in December last year to collect non-perishable food donations door to door. More than 10 locals volunteered on the evening including Councillor Peter Carlill and local artist Steph Heath and her husband Guy.
Many residents joined in with the spirit of the event, waving and cheering Santa and Sarah Sax on from their windows and doorsteps whilst those who had heard the news of the project were waiting with bags of food to kindly donate, all of which were kept safe in two festively decorated vehicles provided and driven by Paul of Rodley Scaffolding and his wife Angela (who also dressed as elves for the evening and personally donated gifts and 170 selection boxes to the project!)
Project organisers Alex and Alaina hope that the event may become an annual tradition in Farsley, growing each year with the success of the last!
