Down District Buys Into Newcastle’s First Shopping Week
A campaign encouraging Down district residents to spend their money in Newcastle’s shops was hailed a success by traders, visitors, locals and shoppers alike.
Down District Council with support from the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department for Social Development and the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce launched its week-long ‘shop local’ campaign on 7 September.
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Local public representatives, Council officials and members of the Newcastle business community pictured during Newcastle Shopping Week.[/caption]
Newcastle Shopping Week, a packed programme of live music, events, discounts and offers, saw the picturesque town being taken over by superheroes, musicians, fashionistas, fitness fanatics and crafters.
Down District Council Chairman, Councillor Maria McCarthy said: “A massive thank you goes to the traders and Chamber of Commerce who worked tirelessly to promote Shopping Week whether it was through offering discounts/offers in their shops or helping to organise events.
“Hopefully they have noticed an increase in sales and we can build on the success of the campaign next year and get the district shopping in Newcastle every September. I’d also like to thank the Department for Social Development for their support and to everyone who visited Newcastle during the week and supported our local businesses. A special mention goes out to everyone who turned up for the live sing along of Percy French’s famous song ‘Mountains of Mourne’. Down District Council is pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish and what feedback we’ve received.”
Newcastle area councillor Carmel O’Boyle said it was a “a resounding success”. She added: “We set ourselves this challenge with a great deal of trepidation, not knowing if it would make a difference to the footfall in our town. In the event it proved to be a resounding success and has emboldened us to do it all over again next year. The novel singing of the Mountains of Mourne event outside the Newcastle Centre on Friday, coupled with the lovely weather that brought the crowds flocking into the town to enjoy more outdoor entertainment on Saturday, drew our shopping week to a wonderful conclusion.
“Well done to all concerned. Now we can look forward to our next big celebration in Newcastle which will be our Hallowtides Festival at the end of October.”
This project is managed by Down District Council and supported by the Northern Ireland Executive through the Department of Social Development.
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