Here's why Santa was on the train from Chesterfield to Manchester - in August

Sarah Cardwell, from Eckington, made the early-morning trip dressed as Mrs Claus in order to raise funds for Look Good Feel Better: a charity helping those with cancer to care for themselves.

The 40 year old, an area manager for Benefit Cosmetics, was inspired to take on the unique fundraiser after her mum passed away from ovarian cancer aged 54.

Sarah started with the company in January and explained that, every Christmas, her mum would buy her the Benefit make-up tin. Completing the challenge had “turned everything full circle”, Sarah said.

Speaking to the Derbyshire Times, Sarah explained the importance of the wonderful work being done by Look Good Feel Better: “My mum passed away within six weeks of being diagnosed and it was literally these little things that, on top of everything else you’re going through, the one bit that you take for granted - putting your lippie on and feeling a little bit better - you find you can’t actually do anymore.

“We take self-caring for granted but you can’t do some of those things when you have cancer and, for my mum, she stopped going out. So Look Good Feel Better gives people a morning just not to think about cancer and it gives them that confidence back.”

Sarah’s voyage as Santa took significantly longer than expected after she missed her first train and had to wait another eighty minutes!

The delay provided plenty of opportunity for her to spread awareness of the worthy cause.

She said: “I started telling people what I was doing: I had a few odd looks on the day and I was sitting in the parked car and missed my train so ended up on the station dressed as Santa for an hour and twenty minutes.

“I’ve always done a lot of fundraising but finding a company that does have that feel good factor and really puts people at the heart of what they do is fantastic.

“It has opened up conversations about cancer that I don’t think we would have had otherwise.”

To find out more or donate to the cause please visit the fundraising page.