SANTA and the spirit of Christmas proved a healthy tonic for Bicester's town mayor.

John Cozens was ill in bed all Saturday, but a bit of Yuletide goodwill saw the mayor join 55 other people to take part in a 5km kilometre run dressed as Santa on Sunday.

He said: "I had a sore throat and my whole body was aching on Saturday, but I managed to do the run.

"I'm now back in bed recovering as I have overdone it. I was really pleased with how well it all went."

Mr Cozens raised more than £800 for Service by Emergency Ride Volunteers (SERV), the charitable organisation that delivers blood products to hospital across southern England at night free of charge.

Also hitting the streets was area beat officer PC Richie Iwanoff, who had no idea he was taking part after simply being ordered to turn up early for work by his boss.

PC Iwanoff, who had just returned from a holiday in Egypt, said: "I got back to work only a couple of days before the race and my sergeant told me I was involved in a top secret operation.

"I had no idea I would be taking part in the fun run. It was a laugh and I didn't do too badly considering I was carrying a bit of holiday weight."