The event will raise money for Hope House, which runs two hospices for terminally ill children, and organisers hope to attract more than 5,000 'Santas' to take part in a bid to win a place in the record books.

Each runner will be issued with a regulation Santa Suit, and Rob said he was more than happy to take part.

He said: "At least no one will be able to see me huffing and puffing at the back!

"Hope House is our chosen charity and so I thought I out to put the effort in and drag myself out of bed early on a Sunday morning and dress up as Father Christmas.

"We do a lot with the charity and they are a great bunch of people. It should be good fun."

In order to spread a bit of pre-Christmas cheer, Rob and his fellow runners will complete a 2.5 mile run through Oswestry on December 3 in the hope of raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Rob is hoping friends and colleagues will get behind him, and details of how to sponsor him will be published shortly on his blog. .