Clay Cross businesses play host to free Family Christmas Trail

Badger’s Christmas Party Trail, a self-led walking trail, runs every day until December 21, challenging participants to find the special clues dotted about the town centre in windows of local businesses, gathering all the items needed for Badger and friends’ festive celebration.

A free illustrated guide accompanies the trail and features ten different family-friendly challenges and a map to guide participants around the route. Guides are available to pick up from Clay Cross Tesco Customer Service Desk.

Illustrated clues, found in shop windows, feature Badger, or something to do with Badger, and help provide the answers to challenges.

Local businesses and organisations taking part include Tesco, Ashgate Hospice Charity Shop, Royal Primary Care Clay Cross, Silver Web Holistic Centre, The Beige Studio, Obsessive Recessive, Clay Cross Social Centre, Pink Gorilla Salon, Graze, and The Lighthouse Charity Shop.

The challenges can be done in any order and at a pace to suit participants. If doing it in one go, the trail takes approximately 30 - 40 minutes to complete.

Once finished, participants can claim a small reward back at Tesco, and adults also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win £50 in shopping vouchers.

The trail has been developed by arts charity First Art as part of the Clay Cross Out and About project, a project designed, as its name suggests, to get more people out and about in and around the town, as part of the Active Neighbourhoods Pilot.

“We think this is a lovely way to spend some time out with friends and family, doing something fun for free, and away from the busyness of this time of year,” said Karl Greenwood, Director at First Art.

“We’re grateful to all the local businesses and organisations taking part, who have enabled the trail to happen.”

Hayley Bramley, Walking into Communities Development Officer at North East Derbyshire District Council, said: “We hope that by bringing this Christmas Trail to Clay Cross, it will offer families the opportunity to access a free and fun activity over the festive period and enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air.”

“So, wrap up warm and head out around Clay Cross to find Badger!”

You can find out more about the trail and download a Badger puppet to make at home at www.firstart.org.uk/christmas2024/badgerschristmaspartytrail