Mendip District Council declares Shop local and park for free on Small Business Saturday

In the pre-Christmas period Mendip District Council is offering free parking at selected car parks across the district on Saturday, 3 December, to support Small Business Saturday.

The Council is encouraging shoppers to visit its high streets and purchase locally to support their independent businesses.

A spokesperson said: "Shop local and park for free on Small Business Saturday Small Business Saturday is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Free parking will be available in the following Council-owned car parks to support this initiative:

Cattle Market Car Park, Frome

St John's Car Park, Glastonbury

Great Ostry Car Park, Shepton Mallet

Cranhill Road Car Park, Street

Union Street Car Park, Wells

Councillor Simon Carswell, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, said: "It's great to again support Small Business Saturday. Our high streets are packed with fantastic local retail businesses and this important campaign shines the light directly on them.

"The cost of living crisis is having an impact and now more than ever small businesses are facing tougher circumstances. Let's do all we can to support them."

Remember, it's free to park in all Mendip owned car parks after 6pm and this includes on county Carnival nights at Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Wells.

Residents are asked to note all terms and conditions of car parking within the relevant car parks remain in force, including maximum time limits. To ensure everyone has a fair chance to enjoy this offer, please don't overstay. 

Please don't park in disabled bays, unless you're a blue badge holder. And park responsibly, by staying within the parking bay markings, and avoiding hatched lined areas, for safety reasons.

Penalty charges will be issued if you breach the conditions. There is an appeals process, details of which can be found on your parking ticket.

For more information on Mendip car parks, please visit Pay & Display Car Parks in Mendip: www.mendip.gov.uk/paydisplay.

For more information about Small Business Saturday, or to get involved, please visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com

Shoppers at Asda can pick up Christmas Dinner for a family five for less than £22

Asda has launched its Frozen dinner offer, at a cost of a mere £4.40 per head. But it also unlocks free cash for Asda Rewards App users, too.

Customers using the Asda Rewards App can earn £1.50 in their cash pot, when spending £20 or more on Frozen Christmas dinner essentials until 27th November 2022.

As Christmas gets ever nearer and shoppers are seeking ways to begin spreading the cost, smart Asda shoppers can stock up on their frozen Christmas dinner essentials in advance, packing the freezer to feed a family of five for just £21.48.

And there's more! Asda Rewards App users can also earn £1.50 in their Rewards App cash pot, when they spend just £20 on selected frozen Christmas dinner essentials including Brussels Sprouts, British Turkey and Pigs in Blankets.

The list of Frozen Christmas dinner products available includes all of the below;

Asda Basted Small British Turkey, Frozen (approx. 2.6kg) - £13.50

Asda Frozen for Freshness Sliced Carrots (1kg) - £1.10

Asda Frozen for Freshness Garden Peas (1kg) - £1.25

Asda Party Pigs in Blankets, Frozen (12pk) - £2.50

Asda Crispy Roast Potatoes, Frozen (800g) - £0.88

Asda Frozen for Freshness Brussels Sprouts (1kg) - £1.25

Asda Frozen Yorkshire Puddings, (12pk) - £1.00

Currently the cheapest frozen deal on the market, Asda’s Frozen Christmas Dinner offer is over 40p cheaper per head than their nearest competitor, and with the additional £1.50 cash reward, customers will be able to spend on other exciting Christmas goodies, too.

Also, shoppers don't have to spend £20 in one transaction in order to complete the £20 Rewards App ‘mission’ on Frozen Christmas Dinner, so customers can spread the cost of these items between now and 27th November.

To learn more about Asda's Rewards scheme, visit: https://groceries.asda.com/event/asda-rewards?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-_-asdacom-_-hp-_-card-3-_-rewards.

Get Christmas crafting for fun!

I was in our local branch of the bookshop called "The Works" looking for a book (as you do) when I noticed that they had a wide range of Christmas craft items.

Idea of a book forgotten for that moment, I decided that I needed to put my barely adequate crafting skills to use and I browsed through the shelves for something appropriate to make for Christmas.

They had a Decorate Your Own Festive Wooden Village at £3.00, an LED Wooden Christmas Scene at £6.00, a Wooden Merry Christmas Garland at £3.00, a Wooden Build Your Own Merry Christmas Hanging House: Pack of 2 at £3.00, a Wooden 3D Christmas Tree at £5.00, a Wooden Christmas Tree Advent Calendar at £13.00, a Fill Your Own Baubles: Pack of 6 at £2.00.

Also a Christmas Cookie Cutters: Pack of 10 at £3.00, a 10 Piece Christmas Stamper Set at £3.00, Paint Your Own Hanging Christmas Decorations Kit at £4.00, a Jar of Assorted Jingle Bells at £3.00, a Upper Case Alphabet Wooden Stamps: Pack of 26 with the ink stamp at £3.00, card making kits, garlands, Christmas craft kits and more besides.

I chose the alphabet wooden stamps, the assorted jingle bells and the build your own hanging Merry Christmas house. Though you have to be careful to make sur you glue the sections the right way round or your decorative house would say samtsirhC yrreM instead of Merry Christmas!

To find your nearest branch of The Works or to shop online visit https://www.theworks.co.uk.

All I want for Christmas is my Asda Christmas Tree pizza!

The tree-shaped pizza features a whole host of festive favourites, including stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce!

Priced at a nifty £3.75, customers will be able to purchase the pizza at in-store Asda Pizza Counters from the 12th December.

The pizza is launching as part of Asda’s biggest Christmas offering to date, with 723 new items released for an extra special Christmas.

With Christmas right around the corner and festive staples starting to make their way into homes across the country, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with Asda’s new Christmas Tree Pizza?

It's idea for an evening in with the family, or even a pre-Christmas party with colleagues and friends, the dough-licious tree-shaped pizza combines a teatime favourite with the nostalgia of Christmas, promising a mouth-watering treat with every bite.

The pizza features a range of seasonal ingredients like juicy, diced turkey breast, flavoursome sage and onion stuffing balls, crispy bacon, delicious cheese and topped at home with fruity cranberry sauce, ideal for those looking to indulge and get a taste of the big day.

They'll be available from Asda’s in-store pizza counters nationally between the 12th and 24th December, made by hand using fresh ingredients daily.

What’s more, for just 40p extra, customers can heat their pizza in-store, when purchasing at the Pizza Counter. Simply ask the colleague at the counter to heat your pizza in the in-store oven, and enjoy the cheapest takeaway-style pizza on the market!

Asda’s Christmas Tree Pizza is one of many new festive products launched for 2022, with this year’s offering marking the store’s largest Christmas range to date, featuring 723 new products available to buy in-store and online.

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Oxfordshire-based charity aims to help the 14% this Christmas

Mehiel Foundation, a small registered charity (1198017) based in the Oxfordshire town of Bicester has given itself the task of providing a festive Christmas dinner to every child in need this festive season.

According to joint DWP and HMRC estimates, 14% of the children in Oxfordshire live in poverty. 

A spokesperson said: "In an age when we spend more on dieting than we do on poverty eradication, no child should go to sleep hungry."

Through the “Sacks of Hope” initiative, Mehiel Foundation works with local schools and churches to identify families who are in need and supplies them with sacks of groceries which include fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta, tins of soups, sweets, a Christmas pudding, a whole chicken and many more goodies costing around £23/sack.

But Mehiel Foundation needs your help! Because of the pandemic, the number of families requiring assistance has increased considerably over the past two years.

You have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate Oxfordshire children this Christmas. Mehiel Foundation’s 100% Donation Policy will ensure all your donations go towards purchasing the groceries and not a single penny will be spent on “admin” costs. Text SOH followed by your donation amount to 70580 to give that amount (max £20) or visit www.mehiel.org/donate.

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The Perfect Christmas Gift Idea for any keen Gardener!

This Christmas you can send a gift to the gardener that you love whilst also making a sustainable difference with Carbon Gold's Biochar range. And it's a gift that will keep giving all year long!

Carbon Gold has a Biochar product for every green-fingered lover of the garden this festive season, with its range of climate-friendly gifts that are aimed at boosting plant health, improving water efficiency, reducing the impact of diseases, enhancing soil health and giving plants, trees, and shrubs vitality all year round!

Founded by Craig Sams (the entrepreneur behind Green & Black's Chocolate and Whole Earth), Royal Warrant holders and B Corp accredited Carbon Gold has an award-winning range of Biochar-based, peat-free planting aids created for home growers, gardeners and allotmenters alike.

It’s Soil Association approved for organic growing range, offers a Biochar solution for every garden task: from growing a luscious, green lawn, supercharging your vegie patches, nourishing houseplants, improving soil, or planting trees, Biochar will sequester (lock) the carbon into the soil, reducing the CO² levels that would otherwise be released into our atmosphere and will revitalise plants from root to tip!

Stocking Filler Ideas:

Biochar Houseplant Booster - £9.99 RRP 1 Litre Tub

Following the growing trend for nurturing houseplants, Biochar Houseplant Booster to supports healthier growth in most indoor

plants, including cacti. Due to its extraordinary water-holding capacity,

Biochar will help prevent houseplants from drying out and support a healthy soil microbiome and better airflow through the houseplant soil, ensuring resilient root development and better drainage – delivering a plant that will flourish and thrive in indoor conditions.

Biochar Compost Rejuvenator - £9.99 RRP 1 Litre Tub

Why replace compost when you don’t really have to? Biochar Compost Rejuvenator has been created to breathe new life into used compost. Just add Compost Rejuvenator to your old compost, and revitalise it with a combination of nutrients, biology, and fertiliser, all of which will have been exhausted after a productive growing season. Biochar Compost Rejuvenator can be added to used compost or a plain substrate to get you off to a flying start in the new growing season.

Biochar Tree Soil Improver - £9.99 RRP 1 Litre Tub

Biochar Tree Soil Improver is ideal whether you are planting new trees or woody plants or if you need to revitalise established ones.

It promotes root development and reduces nutrient leaching, which helps defend against transplant shock and drought stress. A perfect and powerful treatment for all types of trees but also for shrubs, roses, bare root stock and hedging.

"With Climate Change undeniably at the forefront, Biochar will deliver enormous benefits to the garden for years to come, as well as save money, boost soil health, and reduce the amount you need to water with a positive impact on climate change. This sustainable gift will keep giving all year round," points out Sue Rawlings, the Managing Director of Carbon Gold.

Carbon Gold's biochar products are Made in Britain certified, Soil Association approved for organic growing and favoured by legions of gardeners across the country.

Available at: Abel and Cole, Dobbies, RHS, Amazon.co.uk, Daylesford Organic. See more stockists on www.carbongold.com.

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