Christmas is Sprouting at Carryduff Shopping Centre
Excitement is building for the Christmas Market sprouting up this Saturday 6 December, in Carryduff Shopping Centre, 10am-4pm.
The event will have something for all the family with a children’s activity den that will feature making your own Christmas stockings and decorations, face painting, story-telling and clay modelling. There will even be a mini hand weaving loom which children can have a go on to make their own Christmas cards.
The weekly fresh food shop and Christmas shopping for the foodies in your life, can be taken care of at the farmers market, with local fresh food and artisan producers from Inns Market in Newtownbreda, coming along as well as some new faces. Visitors to Inns Market will be familiar with regulars such as Passion Preserved, Cherry Valley Farm, Kearney Blue, Go Yeast, Still Waters Fishing, McCarthy Meats, Tom & Ollie, and Mange Tout Patisserie. As it is the festive season, we couldn’t be without a turkey or two, so we will be joined by specialist free range farm, Buchanan Turkeys.
Pop Up Carryduff is a Castlereagh Borough Council initiative supported by the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development. The motivation behind the event is to inject economic activity and community life back into the heart of Carryduff, encouraging both local businesses and local residents to get involved.
Yvonne Burke, Economic Development Officer with Castlereagh Borough Council, says “We are really hoping to encourage local residents to support the event and to shop local this Christmas. With the changing face of the retail landscape, consumers are more conscious of where their food is sourced and the positive impact on the local economy of buying local. Our aim is to reinforce that ethos.”
Economic revitalisation is a key remit for Castlereagh Borough Council, and there has been a lack of vision and strategic direction in many suburban shopping districts as to how to differentiate themselves from mainstream shopping centres.
“The importance of the shopping experience is under-rated and misunderstood by traditional retailers. Shopping is now seen as a leisure pursuit. We are hoping that the Pop Up event at Carryduff will showcase how small local enterprises are at the forefront of boosting our local economy with a fabulous diversity of products, whilst at the same time providing a personal shopping experience that adds to the sense of community. We are also tying in with ‘Small Business Saturday’ so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
There will be plenty to keep the little ones entertained in the activity den, plus street entertainers, fitness workshops, and a bicycle clinic – you can even get your Christmas gift shopping underway with the gift and craft collective. With the obligatory weekend specialist coffee fix and chill out zone, there really is no excuse not to shop on your doorstep this coming Saturday, 6 December in the heart of Carryduff Shopping Centre, 10am-4pm.
Picking the sprouts for the Farmers Market at Pop Up Carryduff are – Joanne McErlain, from Babble, organising company for Pop Up Carryduff Paul Hamilton, Cherry Valley Farm, Comber; Claire Kelly, Passion Preserved.
