SANTA’S sleigh is set for a much-needed upgrade in 2022 – thanks to donations from the people of East Ayrshire.

The Cumnock and District Round Table are celebrating 20 years of touring the local communities with Santa and his elves.

For the past 20 years the good folk at the Round Table have been helping the man in the big red suit say hello to the people of East Ayrshire.

They have taken Santa around New Cumnock, Ochiltree, Mauchline, Catrine, Auchinleck, Lugar, Logan and Cumnock this year, clocking up many miles in the process.

They handed out goodies to the children and were delighted with the contribution made to their charity buckets by well-wishers lining their route.

The money will be placed in Cumnock and District Round Table’s charity account, allowing it to be used for local causes.

However, Santa’s sleigh, which has been pulled by a tractor, is looking the worse for wear and is due for an upgrade.

It was built on an old trailer frame and it “has served the communities well for that period, but it is now starting to show its age.” says Dane Love of the Round Table.

One side is collapsing, and some of the woodwork is starting to burst.

So Santa’s elves have decided to build a new sleigh with the help of some local businesses.

Dane Love explains: “A plan was hatched whereby a proper modern trailer, with brakes and a double axle, would be bought and a new sleigh body built on top of it.

“Contact was made with a couple of local businesses, and the Table were delighted when Brockwell Energy (Kyle Wind Project) decided to contribute £1,500 towards the cost, and Hargreaves paying a further £500.

“The new trailer bed has been acquired through Kerr & Smith, and in the new year the elves will start making a new sleigh, ready for touring the district next year.”

Cumnock and District Round Table was formed in 1952, and thus 2022 will be the organisation’s 70th anniversary.

Discussions on how this will be marked have already taken place with plans expected to be announced in the new year.