Town businesses prepare for Christmas spectacular

Retailers, cultural venues and town centre businesses have joined forces and are planning a range of festive activities to run throughout a six-week period, starting on Thursday, November 14.

The newly formed Yorkshire Coast Business Improvement District (BID) is funding the festivities.

A programme of activities is currently being pulled together and is expected to kick off with a ‘Christmas Starts Here’ celebrity fronted light switch-on event including a laser light display.

Thereafter on the run-up to Christmas there will be a number of themed town centre wide late-night openings, a festive Christmas market, family fun treasure trail with some top prizes to be won, enhanced Christmas light feature, carol singing, street music, pantomime fun characters and Christmas storytelling.

Sue Anderson-Brown, centre manager at Brunswick Shopping Centre who is chairing the new town centre Christmas Steering Group, said: “Retailers of all sizes have been hit hard in recent years with changes to consumer spending habits.

“It is vital that town centres offer wide, varied and engaging experiences, to provide compelling reasons for people from both the local vicinity and the wider catchment area to make regular visits, thereby increasing footfall and dwell time.”

Any business or organisation that would like to get involved in the Christmas activity are asked to contact Sue Anderson-Brown on 01723 371777 or by email at [email protected].