Traders have Christmas all wrapped up
Traders in Shrewsbury town centre have Christmas all wrapped-up - thanks to specially designed festive wrapping paper which they will be giving away to shoppers next week.
The paper has been designed by local artist Hannah Chumbley and will be handed out to shoppers on Saturday (7) as part of Small Business Saturday, one of Shrewsbury’s busiest days of the year on the run-up to Christmas.
Small Business Saturday was launched in America in 2010 and is in its seventh year in the UK. Last year, Small Business Saturday generated an estimated £812 million across the country, an increase of 8 per cent on the previous year.
The free wrapping paper is part of a special Christmas campaign by Shrewsbury BID which also includes a large Christmas tree and a postbox in The Square offering a chance for children to write a letter to Father Christmas.
Gaynor Jones, of Vinterior at the top of Wyle Cop, said: “We are really gearing up for the big Christmas rush now and Small Business Saturday promises to be quite a day for shoppers and traders in Shrewsbury.
“The special wrapping paper is unique and we are grateful to Hannah for getting into the Christmas spirit by designing the artwork for it. I’m sure it’s going to be very popular.”
Louise Chadwick, of Button & Bear in Castle Street, said: “I think the one-off wrapping paper is a wonderful idea - something exclusive to Shrewsbury.
“The BID has distributed the paper to traders and it’s a nice touch to be giving it away to shoppers with purchases next Saturday.
“We are hoping to see as many people as possible turn out on the day supporting our town traders. It’s a very special time of year and there is nothing like the atmosphere in the town on the run-up to Christmas.”
The Christmas tree and postbox are positioned under the Old Market Hall and will remain in place until January. Children and their parents can still collect their letter-writing kits from Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery and town centre shops to make sure they get a reply from Father Christmas.
The tree was provided by Leaton Forest and decorated by Christmas Perks shop in Wyle Cop. The BID’s Christmas campaign is aimed at encouraging shoppers to visit Shrewsbury for their festive shopping and support local traders.
