THE Malvern Gazette has been turning the spotlight on independent businesses across the town with VeryMalvern Christmas, a sparkling campaign to champion local entrepreneurs in the run-up to Christmas.

And businesspeople have been feeling the festive cheer thanks to the campaign, which has involved promotion in print, on line, on mobile and via social media, using the hashtag #VeryMalvern.

The support has been welcomed by traders, such as Harpers Bazaar in Malvern Link,

Chris Harper said: "It's gone very well for us. We've had a lot of people coming in saying the saw the promotion, quite a few new customers and some old ones who we haven't seen for some time."

Now the business, which is known best as a dealer in military and government surplus, but which stocks a wide variety of other goods, is ready should we get the "big freeze" that some have said is on the way.

"We've got lots of sledges and snow shovels in stock, so if we do get proper wintry weather, we've got what you need," said Mr Harper.

Sara Creber of the Malvern Book Co-operative said: "I think a lot of people buy books for Christmas presents. At other times of the year customers come in and buy one book, but in the run-up to Christmas, we have people coming in and buying five or six book in one go.

"We do a lot of orders; we can order titles in, and we tend to get them very quickly, and the customers don't have to pay postage.

"For the last couple of weeks it's been non-stop in here."

Local businesses also used the hashtag on Twitter to promote a wide variety of offers.

Lee Harrison of Malvern World Travel used it to boost the Worcestershire County Cricket Club supporters' trip to Abu Dhabi next year, while Sean Austin of stationery shop Austin and Co tweeted a variety of promotions, and extras, such as bubbly and mince pies to celebrate Small Business Saturday.

Other users included the Malvern Event Organiser in Church Walk, Cecily's Beauty Salon in Wells Road, and even Malvern-based indie band Ronda, which used the tag to promote its seasonal single I Love You Christmas Day, issued to raise money for Help for Heroes.