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Obituary – Dave Godwin

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dave Godwin, a cherished member of the Burghfield Santas and the broader community.

Dave was a phenomenal human being, whose kindness and dedication touched countless lives.

For over a decade, he served as a committed Parish Councillor, and for 25 years, he was a devoted school governor at Burghfield St Mary’s.
Dave’s passion for our community shone through during his 15 years of organizing the Burghfield May Fayre, working tirelessly way before the event – and always being the last to leave site having overseen the final clean up, to the annual Burghfield Remembrance parade and even organising the Christmas tree on the Hatch.

As a Burghfield Santa Dave was famed for his expression ‘Leave it with me mate’. Nothing was too much trouble to make community events a success, and once the phrase had been uttered – it was guaranteed to be done, down to the smallest details, including the Fire Extinguishers serviced and available to buckets of sand for cigarette butts outside the marquees.

His incredible contributions and unwavering spirit will be sorely missed as a true unsung hero of our village. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave’s family and friends during this difficult time.

RIP Santa Dave

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Santa Cruise

This is where it all started when a group of mates went out for a few drinks after making and wrapping many presents. We wore our red suits and raised a little money for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

This year, there was an event for mini-Santas as well. They all got a copy of the Burghfield Santa’s story book, “The Boy Who Nearly Wrecked Christmas”, staring an Air Ambulance of course.

Here is a sneak preview…

Check out the antics from previous years below.

2021. I’m Still Santa

2019. We’ve got a brand new sleigh and sack…

2018. Santibidi

2017. Santa Cruise & Mini Cruise

2013. Santy Python

2012. Sexy Reindeer

2011. Santa Prepares

2010. Catch the Reindeer

2009 – Santa Cruise La La

2008 – Hey Hey Santa

2008 – Santa Cruise…. Its not that far

2007 – Santacus the Movie

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Santa Summit 2025

Saturday 25th January 5.00pm – 6.30pm

Pie & Pint at The Nag’s Head.
“TK Travel Private Coach” departs 1615 from Village Hall

Following the success of previous years’ outings, this year we’re heading back to Reading’s finest and one of our favourite places, The Nag’s Head for “a Pie & a Pint for a tenner”.

There’s a little more to it than that of course!  While you sip on your beer, we’ll do a short talk on what we’ve achieved in the past year or so and kick off 2025 by talking about the events we’re planning for the coming year (anyone interested in BOX KART?!). It’s a similar format to last year – we’ll do some talking but we want your feedback, questions and suggestions. Whether is a query about how we setup and run Burghfest, choose & brew our annual Beer, or you have a fabulous idea for a new event we could run – we’ll answer as many of them as we can.

We’ll then have a Pie from Sweeney & Todd delivered to us in the pub, to conclude the formalities. Our rough plan is to be finished around 6:30pm, although there’s a fairly very high chance most people will stick around for a beer or two and we’d love to chat with you more.

You don’t need to be a Santa, related to one, one of our volunteers or a sponsor to attend, everyone interested in Burghfield Santas is welcome.

Santa Summit Timetable:

4.15pm Coach leaves Burghfield Village Hall, or make your own way there.
5pm Arrive at The Nag’s Head, get a beer & grab a seat in the “Santa Lounge”
5:15 – 6pm Santa Meeting
6 – 6.30pm Pies Served

This is a break-even event and we are not funding this from proceeds raised, so you’ll need a ticket, which will cost £10 (plus booking fee) for a pie and a pint. Coach is £2 one-way, payable on the day. We are not providing return transport, but the “Lime Limo” (Reading Buses) is available.

Please buy your ticket(s) ASAP – we expect the event to sell out again and we need to close tickets a few days before so the pie order can be placed in time.

Tickets on sale now at
ticketsource.co.uk/burghfieldsantas

Frequently Asked Question

(Well, nobody has actually asked any questions but here is some stuff you might want to know.)

The Nag's Head? Where is it? Never Heard of it?
Really? If you love your beer, you are missing out on this pub! This is our favorite place to go out for a pint when we’re not running our own events! 5 Russell Street, Reading, RG1 7XD. They have a great selection of cask and keg beers, gins, snacks and yes, they sell lager too.
How do I get there?
We recommend getting our private coach, kindly supplied by the fabulous TK Travel, which leaves from the Village Hall at 16:15 for £2. Note: we are only providing outbound travel, not return.
Pies? What Pies?
They’ll come from another of our favourite places in Reading, Sweeney & Todd’s. We can’t guarantee specific pies until the day of the event, so we’ll do our best to match what you ask for. When you book your ticket, you’ll be asked for your selection from Vegetarian, Beef, Chicken, Santa’s meaty choice! The Nag’s Head will sort out the pies, heat and serve them. We’re not doing vegetable side dishes.
What do I get for a tenner?
A Sweeney’s pie and a pint upto about £5 in value. Some of the craft beer / high ABV is more expensive so you’ll either get offered a smaller volume or asked to supplement it. If you want to take the coach its an additional £2, payable on the day outbound only.
I don't like beer, can I have something else?
Yes, it’s  pub, they have other drinks on offer, you get about £5 value towards a drink and can pick something else if you like.
I'm not a volunteer but would like to be
Grab a ticket and sneak in at the back, we’d love to meet you.
Is there a dress code?
You’re more than welcome to come in evening dress, but this is a casual, social event and we’re going to be in the first tent on the right at the back of the pub – although it has some heating, we’d recommend dressing warmly!
Is this a Santa only event?
Absolutely, 100% NO! We’d like anyone who has volunteered or sponsored, is thinking about volunteering or sponsoring, wants to know more about the Santas, has questions or ideas about events, wants a scrummy pie, tasty beer and a chat with us, any of you lovely people to attend.
I can't make it but have a question
No problem, email admin@burghfieldsantas.org.uk and we’ll get back to you!
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Schedule

The Bulging Sack will be Popping Up through out the year. The latest schedule is below: