Late-night shopping... with reindeer

A LATE-night Christmas shopping event featuring market stalls and reindeer will be held in Caversham on Friday, December 5.

Organised by the Caversham Traders group, the event will see businesses in the town centre trading until around 9pm.

Now in its sixth year, the event will feature artisan market stalls, food and drink vendors, sing-along nativity plays and school choirs and, for the first time, reindeer. Caversham Baptist Church will also host an indoor market for small businesses.

A “reverse Santa” scheme will see Father Christmas travel through the town on his sleigh to collect presents shoppers can leave as charity donations in Fourbears Books.

Event organiser and manager of Caversham’s artisan and farmers’ market, Jodie Anderton, said: “It’s a really lovely event, everyone comes out for it and the Christmas lights will be on by that point as well so it will feel very festive. It brings together the community and, for the traders, it’s a real chance for them to get a bit of visibility.”

From mid-November to December, shoppers will also be able to collect stamps in return for shopping at Caversham’s independent businesses.

Once they have collected
10 stamps, shoppers will be entered into a raffle to win a hamper put together by the businesses taking part.