Market Drayton Indoor Market to serve up late-night Christmas shopping and drop-in craft workshops

Market Drayton Indoor Market is joining forces with local makers and artisans to host a late-night festive showcase of Christmas shopping and drop-in craft workshops.

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The showcase on Thursday, December 5 between 5.30pm and 8.30pm is aiming to enable more people to discover the market, shop after work, and celebrate local artisan talent.

Several of the market’s traders are local artisans and crafters themselves, and they will be joined on the night by makers and artists from creative arts group Creative Drayton.

The majority of market stalls will be open for Christmas shopping including gifts, cards, handcrafts, jewellery, Christmas decorations, women’s boutique clothing, vintage menswear, records, crystals, artisan chocolate, wax melts, handmade soaps, children’s clothing and accessories, scarves, bags, gloves and haberdashery.

(Back row left to right: Lisa Patterson, Sally McLean-Butler, Richard Insley, Gerry McGeown, (Middle row L - R): Tom Shepley, Norma Mottley, Sarah Brindley, Tania Paling-Sparkes (Creative Drayton), Gill Baldwin and (front) Dee Spencer.

Meanwhile, crystals specialist Dee Spencer, of Wishful Thinking, will provide a talk about the secrets of crystals from 7.15pm. Refreshments will also be served, including mulled wine and artisan cheeses.

Visitors will be able to create their own Christmas decorations, handmade cards, or festive art to take home in a series of drop-in mini-workshops led by crafters and makers. Each workshop will last between 10 and 15 minutes.

The workshops include making a sea glass Christmas tree decoration using Scottish sea glass, painting a bauble Christmas card, creating a Christmas badge or decoration using fleece, felt, beads and sequins, and crafting a Christmas decoration using Powertex and textiles.

Sea glass jewellery-maker Dianne Fantucchio, of Nature’s Treasure, who will be leading one of the mini festive workshops at the Market Drayton Indoor Market Showcase on December 5.

Sarah Huggins of Creative Drayton said: "All the materials will be provided, and you will take away whatever you make. A small charge of a few pounds will be made for each activity to cover the cost of materials. There is no need to book before the event, just come along on the night and sign up for a slot."

Indoor market manager, Kate Gittins added: "The indoor market is the best it has been for many years and we wanted to showcase this to the public with an evening event which allows visitors to not only do a spot of Christmas shopping with us after a busy day, but to take part in some special activities, such as the Christmas artisan workshops and the crystal talk by Dee.

"We will also be serving complimentary mulled wine and Shepley’s artisan cheeses to help put customers in the festive mood."

Market Drayton Indoor Market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 9am and 3pm.

Shropshire residents have the opportunity to vote for the North Shropshire town's market as Britain's favourite in an annual national poll organised by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).

This year’s voting began in late October and continues until December 13.

Residents can vote for Market Drayton Indoor Market as their favourite at www.nabma.com.