Shop Local Winter Market 2023

“Bigger and better!” That’s what folks said about our latest Shop Local market, held on Saturday August 26, at the Churchill Shopping Centre.

True to the theme of a Winter Market it was a grey, cloudy morning and a bit chilly at 8am as stall holders set up and volunteers set about their tasks. However, no rain fortunately and no wind to speak of.

Churchill Fire Brigade cooked up lots of free sausages for shoppers at West Place, while Latrobe Valley Neighbourhood Watch cooked more snags at Hazelwood Village and, upon request, fitted anti-theft number plate screws to vehicles. A big thank-you to the volunteers of both groups and applause for Woolworths Churchill for supporting our BBQs.

We had free chocolates to hand out (thanks to the Churchill Reject Shop), free biros (thanks to Federation University Gippsland Campus) and free fruit (thanks to Woolworths Churchill).

There were also over $300 of free shopping vouchers given out to randomly selected Saturday morning shoppers. Churchill & District Community Association covers the face value of these vouchers so that no retailer is out-of-pocket for these give-aways.

There were plenty of market stalls to browse, friends to say hello to and free entertainment for shoppers’ enjoyment. Thanks to Bryce our musician whose covers are very popular and Merrin the Fairy, our children’s entertainer.

A special thank-you to Churchill Neighbourhood Centre and volunteers for arriving early to do the registration and sign-in for stall-holders and to the team at Churchill & District News for their support for the Churchill - Shop Local campaign.

We are delighted that market stall-holders return each market day and look forward to seeing everyone again at our next event, which will be our Christmas Market on Saturday December 2.

Keep an eye on our Churchill Shop Local Facebook page for more information closer to the date or check the October edition of the Churchill News.