Festive treats in store as market in town returns

Organised by Berwick Rotary Club and opening from 11am to 4pm, the market will be an opportunity for all the family to meet friends and support local traders offering a huge variety of gift ideas.

A spokesman for the club said: “Including craft cider and gin, leather goods and textiles, chocolates and fragrances – and not forgetting something for the family pet – there should be something for everyone and every pocket.

“There will also be entertainment to bring back to the town the Christmas spirit that we so much missed in 2020.

“Inside the Town Hall, Santa and his elves will be back, greeting children from his grotto and listening to their Christmas wishes. All children who meet him will receive a small gift to take home.

“Also in the Town Hall will be 20 stalls stacked with goodies, from photographs of local scenes and wildlife, home knitting and preserves, and charity stalls with a variety of goods, to creative and exclusive Christmas gifts, all for sale.

“It may be a chilly day, but there will be refreshments to enjoy inside or to take away outside.

“Rotary will be offering mulled wine and mince pies, there will be independent food vendors and inside there will be savoury items including filled rolls and vegan soup, tray-bakes, including the now famous Malteser slice, fruit scones and cakes.

“All proceeds from the Town Hall catering will go to charities supported by Rotary, who again have supplied the Christmas tree and lights on the Royal Tweed Bridge, all put up by volunteers with support from generous sponsors in the early hours of Sunday, November 14.

“Unfortunately, the storm at the weekend severely damaged the lights so that it was not safe to leave them in place, so the club took the difficult decision to take them down last Sunday.

“This is doubly disappointing as the tree lights had been wilfully damaged, not by Storm Arwen, and also needed repair.”