Lights On and Late Night Shopping for two Wantage Christmas Thursdays plus ‘Free Fridays’ December parking

late-night-shoppingWantage shoppers can enjoy the special atmosphere of Christmas Lights-lit late night shopping on two Thursdays this December, plus free parking Fridays.

Many of the town centre’s independents plus a number of nationals will open late for the two evenings in an initiative supported by Wantage & District Chamber of Commerce and the Town Team.

They’ll run on Thursday December 8th and Thursday December 15th, with shops and cafes staying open until 8pm.

Chamber Chairman, Matthew Chapman, says: “The late night shopping and additional free parking will really help to boost footfall in the town during December, creating an even better atmosphere for us all to enjoy. Wantage offers Christmas shoppers something different so please make the most of it.”

Wantage Market Town Co-ordinator, Mim Norvell, says: “If you’d like to support local shops but getting into town in the daytime is not easy then this is an opportunity to pick up some Christmas presents and supplies from the businesses in Wantage. For every pound you spend in a locally owned business up to 70p can benefit your local community compared to as little as 5p when you spend online or out of town. It’s another reason to Shop Local!”

The late night shopping events are the latest in a series of initiatives to promote independents in Wantage town centre and in Grove, which include the Local Business Awards for Small Business Saturday with voting underway until the end of November via www.wantageandgroveloyalty.co.uk plus the short films series showcasing local shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants at the Wantage Town Team YouTube channel.

Also for December, Vale of White Horse District Council is giving people an extra incentive to shop locally for their presents by offering ‘Free Fridays’ parking in the run up to Christmas. You can park for free in district council car parks in Wantage all day on the following days (you don’t have to display a ticket during these times): Fridays 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd December. Vale Leader, Cllr Matthew Barber, says: “We’re offering more free parking this Christmas so that people can shop locally for their presents and stay longer in our market towns to enjoy the great cafes and restaurants we have on offer.”

Wantage town team led by Market Town Co-ordinator, Mim Norvell, is part of a town vitality initiative funded by the Vale of White Horse District Council, and supported by Wantage Town Council, Grove Parish Council and Wantage & District Chamber of Commerce through the Wantage Joint Economic Forum (JEF).

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