Teesside Park has announced it will be hosting its first mini makers market this festive season, with a proportion of proceeds going to its charity partner, A Way Out.
Running every Saturday until Christmas in the centre’s management suite, located between Hays Travel and Sports Direct, visitors will be able to shop a range of handmade products from small local businesses.
This includes Christmas gifts and decorations from Hidden Gems by Ali, handmade jewellery pieces from Moon & Jewel and quirky stained glass and mosaic art by Myriad Mosaics and Glass.
To support the centre’s charity partner, A Way Out, 10 per cent of each trader’s sales will be donated to the charity.
Read more: Angel's Trust overwhelmed by 'phenomenal' response to Christmas toy appeal
A Way Out aims to engage, empower and equip vulnerable and excluded women, families and young people to live their lives free them from harm, abuse and exploitation.
To provide further support to A Way Out this Christmas, the centre will be hosting a ‘donation tree’, where visitors can donate essential items for the charity to distribute to those that need them most.
The tree will have tags for people to select to ensure the products donated are as helpful as possible.
As part of the appeal, visitors are being encouraged to donate their clean pre-loved festive knitwear at the centre’s management suite.
Read more: Full list of routes to see Santa & his sleigh in Darlington throughout December
The jumpers will then be sold for £1 each at the centre ahead of Christmas, with all proceeds going to A Way Out, while some will also be provided to families the charity works with.
Catherine Furlong, centre director at Teesside Park, said: “We’re looking forward to launching our first mini makers market this Christmas. Supporting local businesses is so important to us and it’s great we’re able to provide them with space to showcase their products at such a busy time of year.
“We’re proud to be supporting A Way Out through a number of different initiatives over the festive period and helping to make a small difference to people in our community who need it most, especially at Christmas.”
Teesside Park announced its partnership with A Way Out in March 2022 and has since been raising money for the Stockton charity through the centre’s Giving Box.
Teesside Park is open 9am – 8pm on weekdays, 9am – 7pm on Saturdays and 11am – 5pm on Sundays, with selected shops open until 9pm throughout December.
Read next:
- 'We always aim to help local causes': Group on how Santa's sleigh helps the needy
- 7 in 10 offices in Darlington 'not equipped for cold weather' as energy bills rise
- The Northern Echo launches 'Put in a Pound' campaign to fight poverty this Christmas
If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here