The award-winning Bath Christmas Market, running this year from 22nd November to 9th December, will spread festive magic across the city centre with decorations made from recycled single-use plastic.
Visit Bath, organisers of Bath Christmas Market, have collaborated with craft designer Christine Leech, also Creative Director of Marie Claire Magazine, to create decorations made from empty bottles – many of which have been supplied by local waste management company MJ Church – and leftover plastic bags from some of the major supermarkets in the city, including Waitrose.
Challenged to make her signature wool pom-poms more robust to withstand the winter weather, Christine came up with the idea of making them from plastic bags and bottles from her recycling bin.
The simple but visually stunning pieces, including a giant chandelier and an impressive wreath, will decorate many of the streets and focal points of the Market.
Christine will also be working with pupils from Widcombe Junior School in Bath to make lanterns and decorations that will light-up Abbeygate Street, showing the children that there is more you can do with plastic than just throwing it away.
South West law firm Mogers Drewett are supporting the recycling initiative as well as the Festive Family Artisan Market in Queen Square.
On every Saturday of the Market, visitors with children can enjoy a range of activities and entertainment including a kid’s café, street food, festive storytelling, Christmas arts and crafts workshops, Bath Aqua Glass blowing demonstrations and face painting.
Over 160 chalets will line the picturesque streets, and the Market, which will encompass Milsom Street this year, will retain its South West authenticity with over 80% of producers originating from Bath and the surrounding area.
The Christmas Lodge, run by Frampton’s and Bath Ales will be back in Stall Street with locally sourced, delicious winter warming food and locally produced ales.
A full programme of festive music will be keeping shoppers entertained – new for 2018 will be a piano in Milsom Street that will form part of a ‘pop-up Christmas scene’, encouraging visitors to host their own sing-along.
The piano has been donated by The Piano Shop of Bath and decorated by local school children.
Priormade, a new stallholder this year, will also be linking in with the sustainable theme and showcasing bold and colourful homeware, lighting and jewellery made from reclaimed and low impact materials, including drift wood, from the old Weston-Super-Mare pier.
Mick Heath, Head of Events at Visit Bath said: “As one of the largest events in the South West, we are keen to make the Market as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible.
“Christine’s clever use of single-use plastic to make beautiful decorations is an innovative way of using up some of the plastic waste in the city.”
“This year we have the opportunity to place chalets up Milsom Street for the first time in the 18-year history of the Market. This is a prominent area for the city with many great shops and restaurants, and we are delighted that the Market will be able to support these businesses.
“The Festive Family area in Queen Square will give families the chance to experience something a little different to the rest of the market while the Piano in Milsom Street will enhance our programme of entertainment. We would also like to encourage visitors to travel to Bath by public transport where possible.”
In 2017, an estimated 409,000 people visited Bath Christmas Market, generating an associated additional spend of £29.4 million across the city, the highest ever in the Market’s 17-year history and a 40% increase on 2016.