Carrick at Christmas!

 Last weekend, I was very kindly invited along to the lovely #CarrickatChristmas event – which was to be an afternoon of yoga, brunch & an afternoon of gift shopping. Carrickfergus has always been one of my favourite towns, every since I was little. It is where my Grandparents lived – on my Father’s side – for most of their lives. It is where my Dad was born & raised and it’s a place where I have an array of lovely childhood memories.

The morning started at the lovely Ownies Bar & Bistro where we mingled with fellow bloggers, had a bit of a Yoga lesson from the lovely Yoga Loft in Carrickfergus {if your around the area and into Yoga, check them out – very good!}. After our stretches and getting to know each other a little better, we all enjoyed a delicious brunch – I was stuck between the choice of delicious stacked pancakes or an Ulster fry. I hope some of you will understand how difficult a decision that is!

But I went with the mini Ulster fry and I was not disappointed – the food was delicious. In all the years – pretty much my entire life – that I have been in & out of Carrick, this was my first time eating at Ownies! It will not be my last because I will be back. 

We had some lovely chats from Cathy & Stephen about why we were there today – which was all about supporting local businesses and to look into the new ‘Shop Carrickfergus’ app that is now available on both Google play & iOS {for free}. How handy to have an app, giving you everything from shops in and around the town, offers and discounts that are available and so much more – all in the palm of your hand. 

After chats and chuckles, yoga stretches and food, we were given a really kind goodie bag and sent onto the streets of Carrickfergus for a spot of Christmas shopping. There was an option to have a tour of the Carrickfergus Castle, which I didn’t go on because I go into the Castle pretty much everytime I’m visiting because my kids love it so much. In fairness, though, so do I! 

Carrickfergus isn’t a bit town, especially where the shops available are concerned. But she is full of charm and history and I’d be surprised if you didn’t find most {if not all!} of the items on your Christmas list within her castle walls.

One thing that, I think, sets Carrickfergus out among the rest is that even though she has a few high street stores such as Sainburys & Poundstretchers etc. She has many smaller, independent retailers which are why #shoplocal is a huge deal when shopping in Carrickfergus. Supporting those local businesses is vital for small towns like Carrickfergus and with independent retailers, you’re going to find little treasures and gems everywhere you look. Individual items that not many people will have. 

In our goodie bag, Lisa, from Lisa’s Attic very kindly gifted us all with a £30 voucher. In all of my visits to Carrickfergus, this is one store that I had never gone in to and mainly because I didn’t think it was for me. 

It is such a gorgeous store – the decor alone gives it such style and a strong sense of identity. There is everything in here though, from dresses, blouses, brooches, skirts, shoes, coats and so much more. If you do go in, check out the changing rooms – far too cute!

It was such a lovely event – so a huge thank you to Lisa for putting it all together. To Cathy & Stephen from Q Radio for giving us the talk, to the Major of East Antrim for her speech and involvement, too.

To round off this post, let me just say if we all supported local businesses the world would be a much lovelier place. Don’t you think?