OVER 25 local traders will offer al fresco shopping this weekend to encourage shoppers to support local businesses in the business Christmas period.

Events in Bridge Street (Saturday, December 5) and Charles Street (Sunday, December 6) will showcase the best Newport has to offer Christmas shoppers concerned to see some of their spending supporting local businesses.

Unsurprisingly, both events will have strong Christmas feel to them with festive singing from local choirs and groups and festive food on offer.

Andrew Carragon of Langtons Antiques which is helping stage the events said “The purpose of the Charles Street event is to encourage city centre shoppers to venture up Charles Street and find out what some of the fantastic independent traders offer there."

Some of the local businesses operating stalls on the weekend include Rachels Curry Kitchen, Parc Pantry, The Secret Garden cafe, Market Bakery, Cakes and Bakes and Catrinas accessories.

The event is being stage in partnership with Newport Now (the business improvement district company), Newport Rises and Newport City Homes working with local traders to help diversify and improve the overall city centre offer

Alan Edwards the Chair of Newport Now is encouraging both local businesses and consumers to get behind the initiative. “The opening of Friars Walk is a fantastic development for the city attracting lots of new visitors. Raising awareness of what smaller businesses offer will be important at this exciting time. We’ve been delighted by the support we’ve had from traders for these events and even more please with the partnership approach involved in getting them off the ground”.

The event is part of a national campaign to encourage the use of small businesses.

Small business Saturday (SBS) is a grassroots, non-political and non-commercial initiative which originated in the States in 2010 and arrived in the UK in 2013. The event which takes place across the UK on 5 December, is seen as the biggest day of the year for small businesses.