Chichester District Council Advertising information Services Search the site Search Apply · report · pay My account Home About the council Council news Countdown to Christmas Countdown to Christmas Support Local this Christmas Our Countdown to Christmas campaign is back. The past two years have been difficult for all of us, especially our local businesses and our arts, culture and heritage organisations, and so we are encouraging everyone to do their bit to support local this Christmas. All of our fantastic High Streets in Chichester, East Wittering, Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey are looking forward to welcoming shoppers in the run up to Christmas. Many businesses offer a range of unique and beautiful gifts, including locally sourced products that you can't find anywhere else. Shop Local Parking offers Spend Local Support Local Staying safe Marketing pack for businesses Council contact centre Christmas closure Eating out Travel safely this Christmas Waste and recycling Wellbeing Follow us Our partners You can also find specific information about each of our key High Street areas on our dedicated web pages: Christmas in Chichester Christmas in East Wittering Christmas in Midhurst Christmas in Petworth Christmas in Selsey Shop Local We always urge people to shop locally wherever they can, but now this is more important than ever as we help our High Streets and businesses rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic. By spending locally, you will also be supporting the local economy and helping to preserve the heart of our community. As well as shopping locally, there are a number of ways you can show your support. Wrap your presents with our free gift tags and wrapping paper Show your love for Chichester, East Wittering, Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey with our lovely Christmas gift tags and - new for this year - our special wrapping paper! We have designed a tag and wrapping paper for each area, which you can download here for free. We also have a gift tag for the district. Simply download the paper or tag you want, print them out and use them on your gifts this Christmas to show your support for our local businesses. Our wrapping paper is made from recycled paper and can be recycled or reused again. We will also be giving local businesses tags and paper that they can give away to their customers, so keep an eye out for participating shops! Christmas gift tags Chichester District downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 877kb] (Opens in a new window) Chichester downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 836kb] (Opens in a new window) East Wittering downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 771kb] (Opens in a new window) Midhurst downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 874kb] (Opens in a new window) Petworth downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 780kb] (Opens in a new window) Selsey downloadable Christmas gift tags [word 775kb] (Opens in a new window) Christmas wrapping paper Chichester downloadable Christmas wrapping paper [word 742kb] (Opens in a new window) East Wittering downloadable Christmas wrapping paper [word 618kb] (Opens in a new window) Midhurst downloadable Christmas wrapping paper [word 775kb] (Opens in a new window) Petworth downloadable Christmas wrapping paper [word 630kb] (Opens in a new window) Selsey downloadable Christmas wrapping paper [word 692kb] (Opens in a new window) Shout about our local businesses on social media Consider sharing pictures of the great products you've purchased from local businesses by posting on social media, using one of the following campaign #hashtags: Chichester — #LoveFromChichester East Wittering — #LoveFromEastWittering Midhurst — #LoveFromMidhurst Petworth — #LoveFromPetworth Selsey — #LoveFromSelsey Chichester District - #LoveFromChichesterDistrict Andrew Chiverton of The Crafty Pint, Midhurst. Photo credit: Christopher Ison Previous slide Next slide 1 of 9 Farmers' Market You can buy all your festive food from local producers at our popular Christmas Farmers' Markets. Find out more on our Farmers' Market page. Parking offers We are also introducing a package of parking incentives in our car parks to support local businesses and encourage you to shop locally this Christmas. Please view our December 2021 parking offers. MiPermit is the easy way to pay for parking in the Chichester District by phone, online, or via the app. You can find out more and download the app on the MiPermit (Opens in a new window) website. Spend Local As well as encouraging as many people as possible to support our High Streets and local businesses, we are also making people aware of the many experiences, activities and events that are taking place across the district. You can find out more by visiting the Great Sussex Way (Opens in a new window) . Shout about our your favourite places on social media Consider sharing pictures of the great places you've been or experiences you've had in the district by posting on social media, using one of the following campaign #hashtags: Chichester — #LoveFromChichester East Wittering — #LoveFromEastWittering Midhurst — #LoveFromMidhurst Petworth — #LoveFromPetworth Selsey — #LoveFromSelsey Chichester District - #LoveFromChichesterDistrict 'What's On' online events calendar You can access the very latest information on Christmas events and activities taking place across the district by visiting our What's On events calendar. Don't forget to look out for our Christmas gift tags on social media, promoting events and activities, as well as all the cultural places you can visit. Details of how to find us on social media are on this page. You can also find details of more local events on our new dedicated Chichester District Events and Markets Facebook page (Opens in a new window) . Support Local Add a 'Support Local' frame to your Facebook or Twitter profile picture If you're on social media, it's easy to show your support on Facebook and Twitter too by adding one of our campaign frames to your profile picture. On Facebook, from your own timeline, click on your profile picture and select 'Add frame'. If you already follow our page, Facebook may suggest the frames to you automatically. If not, you will then be given the option to search for a frame. You can find our selection of frames by searching one of the following terms: Love from Chichester District Love from Chichester Love from East Wittering Love from Midhurst Love from Petworth Love from Selsey You will then be able to preview your selected frame, and confirm your choice. You also have the option to set the frame permanently or for a limited time. We will also be posting links to the frames on our Facebook feed. (Opens in a new window) You can also add a Facebook frame to your business page (Opens in a new window) . On Twitter, all you need to do is visit the relevant Twibbon page, and click 'Add to Twitter': Love From Chichester District (Opens in a new window) Love From Chichester (Opens in a new window) Love From East Wittering (Opens in a new window) Love From Midhurst (Opens in a new window) Love From Petworth (Opens in a new window) Love From Selsey (Opens in a new window) Send a special Christmas card We have created special campaign Chistmas cards. The Chichester version is available to purchase from The Novium Museum gift shop in Tower Street, Chichester. If you're looking for a unique and local card to send to your friends and family this year, these are perfect. Cards cost £1.50 each or £6 for a pack of 5. We will also be sharing our free digital Christmas cards on our social media channels, which you can share with your family and friends. If you don't follow our social media pages already, you can find the details on this page. Staying safe We are urging everyone to continue to be cautious and take relevant measures to keep themselves and others safe, such as remembering good hygiene practices, wearing a face covering in crowded places, giving each other space, enjoying the fresh air, and getting double vaccinated against the virus. People are also reminded to take regular coronavirus lateral flow tests, which can be ordered for free. You can find the latest guidance on the Government's coronavirus web pages (Opens in a new window) . Guidance on when to wear a face covering, exemptions from wearing one, and how to make your own face covering, have been updated by the Department of Health & Social Care (Opens in a new window) . Marketing pack for businesses Calling local businesses! Sign up for a free marketing pack - we have produced special gift tags and recycled wrapping paper tailored to different areas of the district, which you can give to your customers, as well as social media assets and other tools to promote your business. Find out more and request your pack on our Christmas business pack page. Council contact centre Christmas closure Our contact centre will be closed from Friday 24 December, reopening on Tuesday 4 January 2022. If you need to contact our car parks office, please call our out of hours messaging service on 01243 785166 or 01243 534734. For any other district council related emergency, please call the 'emergency out of hours' number on 01243 785339. If you have an enquiry about roads, pavements and street lighting, or need to report a fault relating to them, please contact West Sussex County Council (Opens in a new window) online or by calling 01243 777100. You can also access our services on our website. Eating out Before you book a reservation or order a festive takeaway, make sure you check the restaurant's food hygiene rating. You can find out more about the food hygiene rating scheme and check a restaurant's rating at Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. You can check in to venues using the NHS COVID-19 app to receive advice if there has been an outbreak. You can find out more about this on the Government's coronavirus web pages (Opens in a new window) . Travel safely this Christmas If you're travelling by taxi this Christmas, make sure you follow our top tips to stay safe: Wear a face covering on your journey to protect yourself, the driver and other passengers from Covid-19. Make sure you know the cost of your journey in order that you have enough money to pay. Book a licensed taxi or minicab or wait at an official rank. Check that the taxi or minicab has a council licence plate on the rear of the car. Look for a badge in the windscreen and check that the driver is wearing their identification. Keep your mobile phone with you at all times (and make sure it is charged up). Never get into an unmarked car offering you a lift. Don't get into a car if you feel unsafe for any reason. Waste and recycling The packaging from many of our favourite festive food and drink products such as plastic confectionary tubs, meat trays, foil mince pie cases, glass bottles and jars, and empty chocolate advent calendars can all be recycled. Before placing in your burgundy bin, please make sure your recycling is: Clean - free from food and drink leftovers (a quick rinse will do). Dry - keep your recycling bin lid shut (soggy paper and cardboard can't be recycled and can clog up the machinery when sorted). Loose - not tied up in plastic bags. When you're unwrapping your presents this Christmas, remember that cardboard boxes and packaging, wrapping paper and empty tubes, cards and envelopes, can all be recycled. Unfortunately any shiny or metallic gift wrap, ribbons and bows, and plastic film and wrapping will need to be disposed of in your black waste bin, or re-used where possible. Follow us on social media for more festive recycling tips. St Wilfrid's Hospice Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme We've teamed up with St Wilfrid's Hospice again this year to offer a simple, green and charitable way to dispose of your Christmas tree. By signing up to the Christmas Tree Recycling Scheme, the hospice's team of volunteers will collect your tree and recycle it for you in January 2022, in return for a donation to the hospice. If you are not signed up to our Garden recycling service, this is a great way to ensure your Christmas tree is recycled whilst also supporting your local hospice charity. Book your tree collection at St Wilfrid's Hospice Christmas tree recycling (Opens in a new window) from 1 November, or call 01243 755199 to find out more. Wellbeing If you need some support over the Christmas period, or are looking to improve your wellbeing and health in the New Year, our Chichester Wellbeing service can help. The service is free and aims to help you introduce small changes that can make a big difference to your lifestyle. You can access advice and support on a range of topics including healthy eating, weight management, becoming more active, emotional wellbeing, stopping smoking, and reducing alcohol intake, at Chichester Wellbeing (Opens in a new window) . Follow us Our social media channels Chichester District Council on Facebook (Opens in a new window) Chichester District Council on Twitter (Opens in a new window) Chichester District Council on Instagram (Opens in a new window) Chichester District Council on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window) Chichester District Council on Nextdoor (Opens in a new window) Our partners The Countdown to Christmas campaign aims to encourage people to support local, as well as make people aware of the experiences, activities and events across the district. It is supported by: The Observer Series V2 Radio Chichester Business Improvement District (Chichester BID) The Great Sussex Way Chichester City Council Chichester Chamber of Commerce Petworth Business Association Petworth Town Council Midhurst Town Council Midhurst Town Team CIC East Wittering and Bracklesham Parish Council East Wittering and Bracklesham Local Business Alliance Selsey Town Council Selsey Business Network the University of Chichester Chichester College Love Where You Live. The campaign is being delivered using the European Regional Development Fund's Welcome Back Fund, along with other Government funding aimed at supporting businesses through the pandemic. Related pages Christmas in Chichester Christmas in East Wittering Christmas in Midhurst Christmas in Petworth Christmas in Selsey Cannot find the information you are looking for? Public Relations Email: publicrelations@chichester.gov.uk Telephone: 01243 534679 © 2021 | Cookies | Help | Terms and conditions | Data protection | Contact us | Sign up to news alerts | Accessibility statement Facebook Twitter Youtube RSS