WITH Christmas markets and fairs popping up around the district in preparation for the festive season, Hexham has a climate-focused version in store.

The town’s first eco fair is to take place on Sunday in Hexham Community Centre.

It will include 24 stalls which will allow people to do some eco-friendly Christmas shopping, as well as a cafe using good food which would have otherwise been sent from supermarkets to landfill.

Meanwhile there will be craft workshops including cupcake decorating and reindeer making.

It is expected to be a lively afternoon, between 2pm and 5pm, with performances by K Studio Dance, Tom Lin ceilidh band and the centre’s school of Irish dance.

There will also be competitions which people can enter by bringing along their entries, including best home-made Christmas cake and best Christmas decoration.

Manager of Hexham Community Centre, Clare Mwande, said: “This is the first time we are holding the eco fair. We have had quite a lot of eco and climate action groups using the community centre and I think, with that and probably some of my own personal interests, we thought it was time to try and be a bit more eco-friendly and and try to encourage people to be a bit more sustainable. It’s non-political and I am hoping this will be the first one of what will become an annual event.”