On the 6th of December 2017, Steyning held its annual late-night shopping event in the high street. A night full of Christmas cheer and festivity brought the whole town together in a night of fun and laughter. The event took place between 6pm and 9pm with multiple activities and stalls which kept merry guests interested throughout the night.

This huge and widely anticipated annual event is organised by The Steyning and Business Chamber and the many helpful volunteers who give up some of their spare time to help run and plan this event. A great amount of money is needed every year to fund the lights in Steyning and the evening itself. Fund raising takes place through out the year at a number of different local events. The money needed to host the evening is very much reliant on donations as well as fund raising. These kind donations from local companies and villagers, make this spectacular event possible.

Almost all of the money raised for the lights and late-night shopping event is all down to the kind generosity of the local shops, stalls, residents and Chamber members who organise fund raising events throughout the year and kindly donate prises for the raffle and electricity to run the stalls.

Hundreds of local residents turned up to this annual event and a local resident, who does not want to be named, quoted, “It was an exciting evening with the Christmas vibe you would want to feel from a Christmas evening like the one I went to that night. You felt the positivity and Christmas bliss in the air that evening which made me feel more Christmassy than ever [before].”

Overall, the evening was extremely enjoyable with Christmas joy filling the air, excited screams coming from the many rides located in the car park and the smell of mulled wine and chestnuts that lingered in the wind. Well worth an evening out, just make sure to wrap up warm!

By Lucy Robinson, Steyning Grammar School