FINISHING touches are being made to plans for the Festive Fun Day to be held in Helmsley this weekend to mark Small Business Saturday.

The pantomime-themed day will encourage people to keep trade local and there will be activities run by local businesses, along with fun, games and entertainment for all the family taking place throughout the town on Saturday, December 5, from 10.30am to 3.30pm.

Jelly Roll marching jazz band will be in town playing throughout the day, and DJ Mark Sinclair of Radio Scarborough will also be running a carol singalong. Some of the other activities taking place include the Fairy Godmother’s Cakes, a Candy Cane Trail, the Ugly Sisters’ Beauty Salon, the Dame’s Lucky Dips, Buttons’ Burgers, children’s fancy dress and novelty dog competitions, children’s crafts, Christmas baking, games, swing-boats, choirs, food and drink tastings, alpacas and Yorkshire Mangalitzas, a s-Elfie portrait booth, stalls and a visit from the big man in red.

Visitors should also see plenty of panto-themed outfits as they pop into the town’s many independent businesses, as everyone joins in the fun.

Showing their support for the event, Ryedale District Council has reduced all day parking in the Cleveland Way car park to just £1.50.

All the fun of a panto in action can also be seen at the Helmsley Arts Centre with ‘Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood’ running from December 5 to 13.

Back by popular demand, the Black Swan Hotel will also again be home to a pop-up ice rink, overlooking Helmsley’s bustling market place from Thursday, 3 to Sunday, December 6.

The town’s annual Christmas Tree Festival will be running from December 5 to 20, from 10am to 4pm daily, in All Saints Church, with 30 trees decorated around the pantomime theme. Entry is free, but donations are welcome which will be split between good causes.

Helmsley has supported Small Business Saturday for the last three years, since it first launched in the UK.

Katie Atkinson of KVA Planning, who heads up the Helmsley in Business Christmas committee, said: “This year’s events will be even bigger and better than those in previous years.

"The pantomime theme will run across everything, from the beautiful trees at the festival and the hilarious Helmsley Arts Centre show, to all the fun of the ice rink and people in shops and businesses donning their best Panto Dame outfits.

She added: "Not only will it make for a great day out for everyone, but it also supports the important message of Small Business Saturday. Last year 16.5 million British adults went out to support a small business on the day itself, and we hope that while they’re enjoying the fun and games in Helmsley, people are also able to do a spot of Christmas shopping, have a drink or a bite to eat, or perhaps even make a weekend of it, taking the chance to also go and see some of our great attractions.”

To find out more about the event go to www.visithelmsley.co.uk or follow Helmsley on Facebook www.facebook.com/visithelmsley or @visithelmsley on Twitter.