We wanted to share an update regarding Christmas at Cleeve Wood Road Shops.
After a great deal of thought, we have made the difficult decision to bring the event to an end. While it has been an incredibly rewarding experience, hosting Christmas at Cleeve Wood Road Shops required an enormous amount of time, organisation and commitment each year.
Planning typically ran from March through to November, but in reality the work never fully stopped. Outside of the core planning months, the event still needed ongoing management, communication and coordination, making it close to a full time commitment across the year.
Alongside the required legal and safety planning such as road closures, licences, event insurance and safety / risk assessments, the event also involved organising every other element from scratch. This included stalls and stallholders, music, entertainment, the Santa grotto and the overall running of the day itself, as well as all the other elements these things included. All of this was handled by a very small group of people, and over time it became clear that the scale of the event was no longer sustainable for us to continue personally. There was also a number of changes in personal circumstances by the organisers which made it no longer possible to give the time and effort required to put on the event.
We are extremely proud of what the event achieved over the years. Thanks to the generosity and support of the local community, Christmas at Cleeve Wood Road Shops raised more than £9,000 for charity, helped create lasting memories, and brought people together for a positive cause. We are truly grateful to everyone who supported the event in any way.
There are no current plans for the event to return. However, nothing is forever. Any future version of Christmas at Cleeve Wood Road Shops would likely need to be organised by others and take a different approach, with a simpler and less time intensive structure.
Across previous events, funds were raised for a wide range of charities including The Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal, B.U.S.T, Help Dave Battle Brain Cancer, Bristol Outreach Services for the Homeless, Jessie May, St Peter’s Hospice, The Charlton Farm Trust, Paul’s Place, Manor House Frenchay and Heart Animal Rescue, among others.