Farnham Town Council is proactively encouraging people to shop local this Christmas.

As well as supporting local businesses through virtual shopping initiatives such as www.WeAreFarnham.co.uk, the Town Council has arranged for a free family walking trail in the town centre. The interactive story-trail is designed to encourage children to walk, have fun and enjoy seeing the Christmas shop windows in a socially distanced and contactless way.

Councillor Alan Earwaker, Lead Member for Tourism and Events says: “The Spirit of Christmas trail follows on from the highly popular Monster Safari which we organised in October.

“Ten jolly window characters, all specially created for the trail have been placed around Farnham for families to hunt down. There is no need to actually go inside the venues, but some participating businesses are offering extra incentives to come in while you visit.”

The Christmas Spirit Trail revolves around a magical story that includes Albert Claus, the less famous brother of Father Christmas. His job is to maintain the Spirit of Christmas by spreading joy bubbles on Christmas Day, but he’s gone missing! By visiting the trail stops and speaking to each of the cheerful ‘Spirits of Christmas’, players will learn what has happened to Albert and, finally, be able to solve the mystery, save him and read the conclusion with the free e-book at the end.

The trail is available until 3 January. It takes on average 45 minutes to complete and does not have to be completed all at once. It works by utilising contactless QR codes, without the need for families to download or sign up to anything.

Christmas in Farnham is sponsored by Kidd Rapinet and Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society. To find out more about the trail and other Christmas activities, see our Christmas in Farnham page.