Five-year-old Alder Hey patient to be guest of honour at Liverpool Santa Dash

Five-year-old Alder Hey Hospital patient, Lincoln, from St Helens, will be the guest of honour at the 20th staging of the BTR Liverpool Santa Dash on 3 December. 

Alder Hey Children’s Charity is the official event charity partner for the BTR Liverpool Santa Dash 2023.

Lincoln has undergone open-heart surgeries at the children’s hospital in Liverpool. His infectious enthusiasm and positivity has made him shine – and he has been chosen to represent the charity at this year’s Liverpool Santa Dash.

Lincoln will be guest of honour on the day with his family – mum Tanya, dad Mathew, and brothers Deacon, Mac, and Jaxon. He will be taking part in the 1K Mini Dash – supported by Alder Hey mascot Oli the elephant, who will be taking part in the main dash.

Also lined up for the Santa Dash is a team of 100 from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, who will be swapping their fire kit for festive attire. This is the 16th year the organisation has taken part in the Santa Dash, and will be the largest group they have had taking part. BTR Liverpool arranged for Lincoln to visit St Helens Community Fire Station.

The crew from St Helens Community Fire Station welcomed Lincoln, his mum and his dad for a fire station visit. The youngster was given the full fire station experience – being shown around the fire engine, shooting water, trying on a fire helmet, and having a ride in the engine. The crew also presented him with his very own large toy fire engine to take home, along with a T-shirt and baseball cap.

Mark Baldwin, station manager at St Helens Community Fire Station, commented: “We were delighted to welcome Lincoln, mum and dad. He’s been through such a lot at his young age, so the crew really wanted to make it a day to remember.”

Alder Hey Children’s Charity’s aim is to deliver a fun-filled and positive experience for families, often at the toughest times, by raising money for innovative projects and creative activities. 

Thanks to generous donations, the charity has proudly pioneered life-saving treatments and provided comfort for young patients and their families. Funds raised by Alder Hey through the event will support its work to transform young lives through state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and ground-breaking medical research.

Lincoln’s mum, Tanya, added: “The care and support Lincoln has received from Alder Hey since he was born has been incredible. Supporting the charity and the BTR Liverpool Santa Dash is our way of saying thank you as a family and giving something back.

“The fire station visit was amazing and something we will never forget. The smile on Lincoln’s face said it all, he was absolutely thrilled. We’d like to say a big thank you to the crew at St Helens Community Fire Station, Alder Hey, and BTR Liverpool – not forgetting Oli the Alder Hey mascot. We cannot wait for the Santa Dash. Lincoln is excited to dress up as Santa, it’s going to be a lovely experience.”

Santas can support Alder Hey Children’s Charity by fundraising or making a one-off donation. The charity’s Santa Dash fundraising campaign for 2023 has already passed the £5,700 mark.

Santa Dash participants or supporters can fundraise or make a donation on the Alder Hey Liverpool Santa Dash official giving page at
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/santadashah23

Lincoln will be joined on stage by the Lord Mayor Of Liverpool, Councillor Mary Rasmussen.

To find out the full details of the BTR Liverpool Santa Dash, click here.