Brentwood Connected, the Business Improvement District (BID), wrapped up its Christmas programme of events with activities in Ingatestone on Sunday 8 December. The outdoor Ingatestone Christmas Market was planned to go ahead in the car park of the Community Centre but had to be cancelled for health and safety reasons due to Storm Darragh, which caused havoc across the country with expected wind gusts of 45mph in Essex. The village came out in force to celebrate Christmas with activities from High Street businesses, free face painting, live music, festive walkabout acts and a special Christmas Toy Trail from Brentwood Connected. Santa’s Grotto was in operation inside the Ingatestone Community Centre, where there were market stalls from community groups and local crafters.
Brentwood Connected BID Manager Sarah Walmsley said, “Safety was always our number one priority and we were sad to have to cancel the outdoor element of the event when it became clear early in the morning that it was not safe enough to set up the stalls. While it was disappointing not to be able to go ahead with the full programme of events for the day, we were pleased to see so many people come to the village to visit the Community Centre’s indoor market and to support businesses by spending time in the many cafés, shops, pubs and restaurants in Ingatestone. It was also fantastic to see how many families were taking part in the Christmas Toy Trail and enjoying the free face painting and walkabout acts provided by Brentwood Connected. We encourage people to continue supporting our High Streets in the lead up to Christmas and beyond and are excited to deliver even more of these free family-friendly events in 2025.”
Businesses including Kennadys, Patrick Green, Ravens Bakery, Start Smiling and The Lounge Wine Bar were locations on a special Christmas Toy Trail organised by Brentwood Connected on the day, which encouraged families to spot festive Jellycat toys placed in each location and find the Christmas word to win one of the toys as a Christmas gift from Brentwood Connected.
Jessica Evans, owner of Ravens Bakery, said, “Ingatestone Christmas Market day is always a highlight for us and, although it couldn’t go ahead in its usual format this year, we enjoyed welcoming lots of visitors to the bakery for food, drink and special festive treats. We were especially pleased to have the beautiful gingerbread man toy in our window as part of the Brentwood Connected Christmas Toy Trail, which caught the attention of lots of children. He was a welcome addition to our Christmas window, which we are always very proud of.”
This was the third of three free festive events from Brentwood Connected, with Lighting Up Brentwood and Festive Shenfield taking place over the previous two weekends. Visitors have enjoyed a number of free attractions from Brentwood Connected including live music, children’s rides, a range of walkabout acts, an ice rink, a Giant Christmas Bauble and plenty of free face painting and visits from Santa. The Christmas lighting scheme in Brentwood and Shenfield is also new and improved this year, thanks to a collaboration between Brentwood Connected and Brentwood Borough Council, covering all of Brentwood High Street and extending out to Ongar Road and Kings Road up to Brentwood station.
All three Brentwood Connected festive events have been supported by Brentwood Borough Council, Brentwood Theatre, Razzamataz Theatre School and Stagecoach Performing Arts.
Brentwood Connected is a unique Business Improvement District (BID) supporting the borough’s three high streets and funded by town centre businesses to improve the experience of residents, visitors, employees and businesses in Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone. For information about Brentwood Connected, including events listings, business directories and local information, visit www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk.