Santa has lost his reindeer during Storm Arwen! But don’t worry, as the children of Darwen can help them all be reunited. It’s an important job – Santa needs his reindeer to be able to deliver children on the “nice list” their presents, as they power his special sled.

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph are keeping warm and dry at nine independent Darwen businesses: Sweet Vintage, Deli Carlo, The Corner Caff, Belgrave Bootique, By Erin, Corkee, My Vintage, Earth Evolution and This And That Gift Emporium. Each business has a window sticker with the name of their reindeer on. All your child needs to do is tell Santa which reindeer is at which shop, so he can retrieve them safely.

Simply collect a worksheet at any of these nine businesses from Saturday 4th December, and begin the trail! Remember to bring a pen, and we advise you to check opening hours online before you start. You can complete the trail without going inside all the shops, but some have shutters down when they are closed that may cover their sticker. (It may take a couple of days to complete the worksheet). A good day to do the trail all in one go is a Saturday!

Visit each of the businesses with your child, and they can use their worksheet to connect each reindeer with their shop. This is a great opportunity for parents/guardians to get some Christmas shopping done too, or you could add a tasty treat or festive lunch into the trail. All these shops are members of the Shop Darwen campaign, so make sure you ask for an entry form if you spend £5 or over. If you complete your entry form and post it in the postbox in Darwen Market Annexe, you will be in with a chance of winning the monthly prize draw!

When your child has completed the trail and filled in their worksheet, hand it in to Sweet Vintage. Your child will receive a small treat for helping Santa find his precious reindeer, and will also be entered into a prize draw. There is a space for you to write your child’s name and your phone number on the worksheet, so that we can contact you if they win. Three winners will be picked at random in January, and all will win a £10 voucher to spend at any Shop Darwen business! Full Terms & Conditions Shop Darwen Reindeer Trail Prize Draw

If Sweet Vintage isn’t open when your child completes the trail, not to worry. You can take your worksheet down when it’s next open. Current opening hours are 10am – 4pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but please double check on social media for any last minute changes. The deadline to hand your worksheets into Sweet Vintage is Christmas Eve at 11am.

Santa is so grateful that the children of Darwen are helping him find his beloved reindeer, and that these Shop Darwen businesses have provided them with shelter. He urges everyone to support small businesses this Christmas, and enjoy what Darwen’s wonderful independent businesses have to offer.

If you post any photos of completing the trail on social media, be sure to use the #shopdarwen hashtag so that we can keep Santa updated, and reshare your photos to our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Happy Christmas!