What’s on and where to shop this Christmas in Weston

Alan, tell us what’s going on at The Sovereign for Christmas.

There’s late night shopping every Thursday night and a big Christmas light switch-on planned with Weston Hospicecare and well-known local band, Lipinski on the 30th November. Father Christmas and Frozen’s Elsa will also be in attendance!

Tell us what The Sovereign has been doing over the last year.

At the moment there are no empty shop units at all. There are a couple of local retailers coming in and doing a few bits and pieces. The new We are Super offices and co-working spaces – are doing very well.

Community projects such as the Fridge of Free stuff @ Hub Zero (whose aim is to share surplus food within the community to reduce food waste going to landfills) and the Citizens Advice Bureau are all there to help the community. 

The Fridge, when it started, was responding to climate change, and now it’s ended up becoming an answer to food poverty. It’s an incredible thing to have an asset right in the centre of town people can get access to.

We used to be called The Sovereign Shopping Centre. We’re now just The Sovereign, because it’s not just about shopping and retailers – it can be office space and community issues – figuring out how we can work with the community to improve their lives, and have lots of people come in and enjoy what we’re doing. 

We have had a piano installed to inspire more people to get playing, and provide a place for those who’ve never had the opportunity to perform. We get some really good performances and some not-so-good performances. Anything from Bohemian Rhapsody to Elton John played on it. 

Channel 4 are doing a second series of The Piano (a show that features talented amateur pianists performing music in public at selected train stations), so there’s some posters hanging around with details on that as well. 

Can you clarify what parking is available over the Christmas period at The Sovereign? 

For the late night shopping, there is extra free parking from 3pm until 9pm in the evenings every Thursday, for the four Thursdays before Christmas. There is also some evening parking over Christmas as well to help out with the other Christmas lights switch-on.

Fay Powell, tell us about Christmas and being a parent in Weston. 

It’s fun – there’s lots to do. We will always go to the Christmas market at the museum. This year, they’ve got a grotto, so I can’t wait until the tickets are released for that. I think it’s the 21st, 22nd and 23rd to see Father Christmas (sold out). And also The Grinch, done in a Punch and Judy style, which is free – that’s going to be in the courtyard.

What is it that you do? What is your role at Weston Town Council?

People might not know what Weston Town Council do – there is often confusion between North Somerset Council and Weston Town Council, so the best way of ironing this out is to think of Weston Town Council as the ‘nice to have’ stuff, whereas North Somerset Council is the ‘need to have’ – your schools, your roads, your staff.

In other words, if you see Fay at a party, you don’t talk to her about potholes, you talk to her about the Blakehay Theatre, Weston Adventure Play Park, Weston Museum, Visit Weston Visitor Information Centre, play areas within parks – but not always the whole park.

There’s lots of crossover between the two councils, but I always see WTC as being in the heart of the community of Weston. 

Central Services Manager of Weston-super-Mare Town Council, Fay Powell also spoke to us.

Tell us about Christmas and being a parent in Weston. What’s that like?

It’s fun. There’s lots to do. We always go to the Christmas market at Weston Museum. This year, they’ve got a grotto (already sold out!) And also The Grinch, done in a Punch and Judy style, which is free, in the courtyard.

What is it that you do? Tell us about your role for Weston Town Council. 

There is often confusion between North Somerset Council and Weston Town Council, so the best way of ironing this out is to think of Weston Town Council as the ‘nice to have’ stuff, whereas North Somerset Council is the ‘need to have’ – so schools, roads, staff. In other words, if Fay is at a party, don’t talk to her about potholes, talk to her about the Blakehay Theatre, Weston Adventure Play Park, Weston Museum, Visit Weston Visitor Information Centre, play areas within parks – but not always the whole park.

There’s lots of crossover between the two councils, but I always see WTC as being in the heart of the community of Weston. 

How did you get this role? What’s your background? What were you doing before you ended up working for the council?

Before I worked for the town council, I worked for North Somerset Council for years. I worked in highways and even now, people will still talk to me about potholes. 

Did you grow up in Weston?

I did. I have always lived here. My husband’s from Weston and has also always lived in Weston, and so have his family. 

What do you think has changed in Weston in regards to Christmas over the years?

When I was very young, I always remember the Christmas lights and the Christmas tree and a real buzz around town. My father was a greengrocer, so our shop was always really busy. I have fond memories of working in those winter months. Christmas Eve was the best day, we would sell out of everything. 

For a period of time, we lost a lot of independents, but now I really feel like it’s coming back. 

As a family that had a local business, I know lots of other families with local businesses and I’ve always been an advocate for them. I’ve always supported them. And I’ve always believed that if you don’t support them, they will go. If you support your local shops, more shops will come.

Where are the kinds of shops that you go to? 

There’s a great vinyl shop called Revolver, which is in Orchard Street. Eastern Spice has been there 40 years, if not longer. My husband loves to make curries so at Christmas, I will go in there and get all the spices I need, so we can have the spice bag for mulled wine and make chai tea or chai latte. If you need an ingredient that you’ve got in a cookbook, and it is really obscure, I guarantee they will have it. 

I love the Polish supermarket, which is on Orchard Street. My mum’s side of the family are Polish. At Christmas time they will have plums dipped in dark chocolate, and they are one of my favourite little luxuries.

What’s on in Weston-super-Mare this Christmas?

See a traditional family panto – Jack and The Beanstalk (9 December, 6-8.30pm)–  at The Blakehay, put on by a local theatre company, Bowtie Productions. 

The Playhouse is doing a panto, Dick Whittington (8-31 December).

The Living Spits (4-21 December) is an alternative comedy for A Christmas Carol.

Icescape at the Tropicana (7 November-7 January) – the UK’s largest undercover ice rink.

The Vee Dub Christmas Cruz is happening on 10 December. See over 100 amazing VW vans, all lit up for Christmas. They raise money, which goes to The Grand Appeal– the official charity for Bristol Children’s Hospital. It starts at the Queensway Retail Park around 5.15pm, and heads out around Worle, along to the Boulevard and up to the seafront, down past the pier and on to Marine Parade.

The Shaggy Dog Tale at The Front Room (15-30December) has been written and created by local people. It’s an adult musical comedy, fuelled by local myth and legend.

Weston’s grand Christmas lights switch-on (2nd December), funded by the town council and Weston BID, will feature the mayor, competition winners and celebrities from the Blakehay pantomime illuminating the town!

Weston Town Council has teamed up with eat: Festivals and this year’s switch-on event will coincide with the Christmas eat: Food Festival (taking place in the Winter Gardens and Italian Gardens), as well as Small Business Saturday (2 December). The Pauline Quirke Academy is going to be there performing some festive favourites, so there’ll be music and dancing.  In North Somerset have been featuring a different independent Weston business each week ahead of Small Business Saturday and are very much encouraging people to shop local in the run up to Christmas.

The mayor is also running a Christmas card competition (for children aged 7-11, deadline 14 November). The winner of that will be joining the mayor in turning on the festive lights (5.25pm) and they will also get 20 printed Christmas cards that they can send to their loved ones. The mayor will also use it as his official Christmas card for the year. The winning artist will have their design featured on the Mayor’s official Christmas card for 2023

Due to the popularity of last year, Weston Museum is going to be open on a Saturday and a Sunday (2-3 December) for the Christmas Market. The museum has been inundated by independent businesses that want to take part this year. The stallholders will be different each day and Father Christmas is going to be there on both days. 

Weston Museum has also got some workshops coming up as well – a Christmas decoration workshop (9 December).

If you’re looking for a fun-filled evening of trivia, laughter, and local history, check out A Christmas Quiz at Weston Museum (13th December) See the museum’s website to check out what else is happening. 

Led by Sidney & Tristan from The Last Baguette, a Winter’s Tail at The Front Room (16th December) is a fun, relaxed play-along theatre adventure (16 December) that includes a stay-and-play session for ages 2-6 and their grown-ups. Younger and older siblings welcome.

Lipinski Christmas party at The Grand Pier (22nd December) includes covers of some of the most popular songs from the last 50 years, plus original material that has had airplay on BBC Radio 6.

A Christmas-themed fun day at The Helicopter Museum (10th December) – see Santa arrive by helicopter, then meet him and his elves in his grotto and sit in his sleigh. In addition there are open cockpits, charity stalls, facepainting, a seasonal fayre.

A Wonderland Christmas Ball at The Grand Pier (8th, 9th, 15th, 16th December) – be amazed by spectacular performances while you dine, and dance the night away with the party band and resident DJ.

Magical Christmas Wonderland at Puxton Park (2nd-3rd, 9th-10th, 16th-17th, 20th-24th December) features gingerbread decorating with Mrs. Claus,  Santa’s Grotto, a Christmas Tree Village with a Wish Granting Tree and an Elves’ workshop in addition to the adventure park attractions, animal handling and indoor soft play.

For more Christmas events check out the Visit Weston website.