INDEPENDENT business are out to celebrate Small Business Saturday this weekend as the town is set to host lots of activities and free parking at council-operated car parks close to the High Street.

The UK wide event, which takes place Saturday 4 December, aims to recognise small businesses and give them a pre-Christmas boost on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

%image('13262460', type="article-full", alt="Flat Whites Coffee, Winchester High Street")

With many independent businesses to choose from across Winchester, there is no doubt you will be able to find unique gifts to fill up your Christmas stockings.

Winchester is full of wonderful small and independent businesses across a wide range of sectors. We have produced a festive map of independent businesses in the city centre and we also have a chalet at the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market at the moment. You can find out more here

Shoppers can take also advantage of free parking at council-operated car parks in the town centre for the whole day.

For those who would prefer to support the cities businesses in the comfort of their own home, shoppers can support over 50 local businesses who are selling their goods online here.

Winchester County Councillor Martin Tod said: "The Council, Business Improvement District and local businesses have been working incredibly hard to get things going again following the darkest days of the pandemic - and this is a real tribute to those efforts. There does need to be an action plan to tackle our skills shortages - but that's a better problem to have than dealing with a lack of jobs for people who want to work but can't find anything to take on."

Small Business Saturday is an American concept and is backed by the UK government, with a record £1.1 billion spent with small businesses on the day last year. The initiative is just one of the ways the council is supporting small businesses to succeed in Winchester.