Community
6 December, 2024
Inaugural festive shopping night success
A NIGHT of festive delight was on offer last Thursday with the inaugural Christmas on Manifold late-night shopping event.
The event saw 19 businesses open their doors after 5pm as residents wandered the streets and enjoyed the festive window dressings.
Organiser Kirsty Green said the Christmas on Manifold night was a “fabulous” way to remind residents to shop locally for Christmas.
“I’ve had a chat with many of the storeowners, and they were all really happy with the amount of people who were out and about and coming in and having a look,” she said.
“That was what we were after – people coming in, having a look and seeing what their local town’s got to offer.
“It was very social – lots of people were catching up with people, people were starting their Christmas shopping.
“I think it was a good reminder that Christmas isn’t far away.”
Ms Green said she hoped the success of the inaugural Christmas in Manifold will start a new tradition in the town to mark the start of the festive season.
“We’re hoping to all get together as businesses and try and get it up and going and adding a bit more to it,” she said.
“That’s the whole idea of it – that it becomes a tradition and a good kick-start before we have our big Christmas weekend.
“It’s always really nice to see your customers come in and support you all the time, but for me it was lovely to see people who have never been to my store before coming in and having a look around.
“It was a really nice feeling – either they work, or our hours don’t match – because we were late-night shopping, they had the chance to come in and have a wander around that they don’t normally do.”
The night also saw Bentley Currell selling raffle tickets across the night for his Ride for Brain Cancer, with many tickets sold across the night.
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