An indoor market with over 20 stalls and a pop up Santa’s Grotto will transform the local enterprise agency at Mallusk on Wednesday November 29. The evening event will offer visitors the chance to pick up handmade presents and enjoy a night out supporting the business community in the countdown to Christmas.

Hosted and supported by the enterprise agency for Newtownabbey area, Mallusk Enterprise Park, the Mallusk Christmas Market allows a wide variety of entrepreneurs, local businesses and social enterprises an opportunity to showcase and sell their products and services to the public.

The Market will host over 20 local independent makers and retailers offering products ranging from arts and crafts to food items and novelties. Alongside a selection of unique handmade gifts, visitors can enjoy festive nibbles, drinks, live music by tenant of Mallusk Enterprise Park – DJ Craig Dalzell, founder of Audio Level DJ Store and a free Christmas Grotto experience for 100 local kids.

The festive event organised by Mallusk Enterprise Park, a social enterprise with charitable status, will raise donations in support of three different local charities. A raffle in aid of the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice will give shoppers the chance to win a wide range of products from local sponsoring entrepreneurs and businesses and the team behind the event are also calling on tenants, suppliers, traders and market revellers to bring along food donations for the Newtownabbey Food Bank and toys for the Mission Christmas appeal by Cash for Kids NI.

The free to attend Market which takes place inside the main conference room spaces in the Business Advice Centre and the Enterprise Hub at Mallusk Enterprise Park will open to the public from 5pm to 8pm.

CEO of Mallusk Enterprise Park, Emma Garrett said:

“Our enterprise agency is looking forward to hosting the 2023 Mallusk Christmas Market in the multi-functional event spaces housed within our business park. This festive event helps us offer additional ways of helping local entrepreneurs to set up and grow and brings many different people all together to support local worthy causes too.

In promoting, supporting and developing enterprise and wealth creation within our local community our experienced and dedicated business advice team go above and beyond the delivery of mentoring and training programmes – they signpost, share expert know-how and provide practical opportunities to individuals and small micro enterprises too. It is encouraging to know that some of the entrepreneurs availing of the sales and marketing opportunity afforded by the Mallusk Christmas Market will be trading their products to the public for the very first time.

We are committed to ensuring that our doors are wide open to individuals and families living locally. Our small but growing team are proud to showcase our facilities, to give local residents the opportunity to shop and support small independent businesses and to provide a much needed Santa experience to local children who may not otherwise have the monies available, during this cost of living crisis, for such a luxury.”

Louise Parkes, Business Advisor at Mallusk Enterprise Park added:

“The whole team at Mallusk Enterprise Park have been working hard behind the scenes to make this event special in every way. Every day we find ourselves encouraged and heartened by generous donations from local individual entrepreneurs and businesses in support of the Market.

The enterprise Park is a valued part of the community in Newtownabbey; having helped thousands of local people establish their own business and in assisting thousands more businesses and social enterprises right across Antrim and Newtownabbey to survive and thrive. I am proud to say that I have personally mentored a number of the entrepreneurs who will be showcasing their wares at the Mallusk Christmas Market and I would love to see lots and lots of people come out to shop local and support local this Christmas.”

 

The Mallusk Christmas Market takes place on Wednesday 29 November from 5pm to 8pm, is free to attend and a list of traders and the entertainment line up can be found online at: www.mallusk.org. One hundred tickets to the Santa’s Grotto experience are available via the Mallusk Enterprise Park eventbrite page.

Photo Caption: Ed McAuley, Ed’s Woodturning and Raymond Millar, Monkstown Butchers join Louise Parkes and Emma Garrett from the Mallusk Enterprise Park team to launch the Mallusk Christmas Market 2023. Set up in support of over 20 local businesses and 3 local charities the Market takes place in the Newtownabbey business park on Wednesday 29 November from 5pm to 8pm.