Statistics from the 10,001 Santas organisers will now be submitted for verification to officials from the Guinness Book of Records within days.

It is expected to be several weeks, however, before the city hears whether it is officially the world record holder for having the most Santas gathered in the same place at the one time.

Local estimates after the event on Sunday, December 9, suggest that Derry surpassed both the current record and even its own target by several thousand.

In total, 12,842 registrations were collected before the event, not including those gathered on the day.

Chief organiser Martin Mullan said today they were delighted with the response to the charity event, with the money raised to be split equally between Foyle Hospice, i.C.A.R.E. (Inishowen Children's Autism Related Education), Children In Crossfire and Macmillan Cancer Care.

Mr Mullan said: "We are just finalising everything at the minute and we will probably submit the whole thing on Friday to the Guinness Book of Records. "Everything has to be done exactly right to make sure.

"The money is still pouring in. We got £100 yesterday and a cheque for £1,000 two days ago.

"So far we have in the region of £110,000.

"Some of that will go towards paying costs, but the charities should get around £25,000 each, which is great for them."

Mr Mullan added: "We are delighted with the way local people have responded. The people are so generous."

Mr Mullan said he was hopeful that a memorial will be erected in the city centre in the near future as a tribute to all those who took part on the day and who helped with fundraising.

"We don't want to wait 100 years before we do it," he said. " Hopefully we could have a plaque or maybe a large photograph to show what was achieved. It would be great for tourism as well."

The record bid was one of the largest charity events ever organised in Ireland.

Derry's bid was the last in a series of attempts that took place in cities including Liverpool, Glasgow and Las Vegas.

High-profile Santas who led the charge through Guildhall Square onto the City Walls included Mayor of Derry, Alderman Drew Thompson, and world class boxer John Duddy, fresh from his Belfast bout against former European middle-weight champion Howard Eastman.

Mr Mullan urged anyone with sponsorship to bring it to the Foyle Hospice on Culmore Road.

Anyone who took part but who did not get their certificate on the day, can also collect them from the Foyle Hospice as long as they have their Santa registration number.