Waggon and Horses held their first local Christmas market last night (Tuesday 16).

The Congleton pub saw over 150 people come through their doors to enjoy the festivities.

Pub owner, Emma Firman explained why she wanted to hold the event at her pub located on Manchester Road:

"This was our first one, we've only been here for four months and wanted to give small, local businesses a boost as times have been hard for everyone."

"I also wanted an excuse to get the decorations up early!"

The event started at 7pm last night, many local businesses set up their stalls ready for the Congleton community to come and have a browse.

Between the rise of Covid-19 and lockdown, local businesses have had it hard due to the pandemic. Being closed for months took its toll on many businesses, and even saw some close.

This year, Emma wanted to give back to her community after buying the Waggon and Horses pub just four months ago.

With Black Friday and Christmas creeping around the corner, shopping within the community is essential.

"The past two years have been extremely difficult for most small businesses," she added.

"The larger chain type stores haven't suffered as much, and we wanted to remind people to shop local."

Amongst the festivities, there were stalls for children's books, hand-crafted Christmas decorations, candles, and a selection of cakes made by Freya's Cupcakes.

Some of the other Congleton companies that are at the market, which is planned to be held again include; Somerford Melts, It's A Shore Thing, and Little Dot's Bows.

Other Congleton small businesses appearing were HerSpace, along with Mrs T Clothing & Footwear.

But some stalls come from all of the Cheshire area.

Marketgoers could buy a drink from the bar, and then have a browse of the fantastic festive stalls on offer.

The fair was a success for both Emma, and all the local businesses involved, they saw a positive response from the local community:

"The community were brilliant and supported the event, we've had amazing feedback from everyone," said Emma.

The event will soon be back, but not just for Christmas. Waggon and Horses is planning on making the event a regular occurrence for local businesses to get involved in.

The Congleton country pub have more events coming up in time for Christmas.

On December 11, the Waggon and Horses will host a dinner and dance evening.

They will also host a dinner and disco night on December 18.

There will be DJ's and entertainment with both events "filling up well".

You can keep up with all future events at Waggon and Horses via their Facebook page.

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