SANTA Claus will be making his first appearance in Holmes Chapel this Christmas at a popular festival celebration.

The Christmas market takes place on Sunday, December 2 from 4pm to 7pm in and around the car park behind the Co-op.

There are more than 30 charity and commercial stalls each year, outdoors and indoors – selling a variety of gifts and novelties, as well as food and drink and raising money for charity.

Entertainment is provided throughout by local musicians and singers, with the Laura Wilson School of Dance set to open the market.

Santa’s sleigh run through the village starts on December 4, and the running of the event has been taken over by the Holmes Chapel Partnership.

The routes and nights are slightly different to previous years to accommodate the new estates in the village.

An online donations page - justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hcsanta - has been set up for the Sleigh Fund, with a target of £1,000.

Each local group which helps with the sleigh qualifies for a share of the funds collected, but as some support the sleigh without taking any of the proceeds, there will be a residual pot managed by the partnership and distributed to groups and good causes on application.

The groups supporting the sleigh run this year are Holmes Chapel Scouts, Holmes Chapel Guides, Holmes Chapel Guides, Goostrey Scouts, Brereton Scouts, Holmes Chapel Fire Brigade, Holmes Chapel 41 Club, Holmes Chapel Pre-School, Holmes Chapel Viking Explorer Scouts, Dane Sound, the Remembering Nell Foundation and the Rotary Foundation.

If you have a good cause or need and would like to apply for a grant further information will be available from the partnership in January.

The sleigh run dates are – December 4 - Lakes Estate and Cotton Hall Estate, December 5 - Goostrey West, December 6 - Hermitage Estate and Saltersford Corner, December 7 - Brereton, December 9 - Cranage/ Allostock, December 10 - Westway, December 11 - Bramhall Drive, December 12 - Sandiford Road/London Road, December 13 - Portree Drive, December 14 - Elm Drive, December 15 - Goostrey East, December 17 - Balmoral Drive and Selkirk, December 18 - Bellway/Bloor (Marsh Lane)