Christmas starts here - everything you need to know about Painswick Goodwill
The magical Painswick Goodwill Evening, described as `the twinkliest night of the year' is one of the best Goodwill markets in the Cotswolds.
It has everything you would wish for in a traditional goodwill evening, set in the quintessentially beautiful Cotswold village of Painswick, known as the Queen of the Cotswolds.
Read why it's the perfect start to the Christmas season, and right at the end experience a glimpse of Painswick Goodwill in action!
What you'll find at Painswick Goodwill
- Carols & singing at St Mary’s Church
- Father Christmas leads a lantern parade through the village
- Santa's grotto
- Children's treasure hunt round local businesses
- Christmas gift stalls in The Painswick Centre
- Hot food & drinks
The Painswick Centre
There's always a fabulous variety of stalls at The Painswick Centre selling locally made Christmas gifts and food including some Stroud Farmers' Market regulars such as College Green, The Cotswold Curer, and Rustic Puglia olive oil as well as others from surrounding towns.
The bar in the Painswick Centre serves drinks including mulled wine and homemade mince pies, while the car park hosts a great variety of hot food and drink stalls.
Painswick Goodwill treasure hunt
Collect a treasure hunt trail in exchange for an item of food for the local food bank and visit the local businesses throughout the village collecting stickers that can be exchanged for a gift.
The shops, cafes and galleries in Painswick all make a special effort for Goodwill evening, and it's a great way to include the entire business community.
Painswick Goodwill Santa's Grotto
The Goodwill organisers thoughtfully ensure it's a night of giving, as payment for Santa's grotto is a new, unwrapped children's present which is collected by the local Salvation Army to be given to a child who otherwise may not receive a Christmas gift, and payment for the treasure maps will be a dry goods item for the local foodbank.
Painswick Church
The bells of St Mary's Church ring to announce the start of the evening, and the beautiful Grade I listed church hosts Christmas carols and singing featuring the church choir and Painswick Community Choir throughout the event.
The Cotswolds is well known for its beautiful wool towns in which the wealth from wool production and weaving produced many fine buildings, usually from local honey coloured Cotswold stone.
Painswick, being one of the oldest wool towns, is no exception, and is home to the spectacular St. Mary's Church with its distinctive spire which is known as the `lantern of the Cotswolds.'
It plays an active role in the community, hosting a number of local festivals including the Clypping ceremony - where participants form a circle around the church holding hands and Painswick Feast; Painswick Apple Day; Wassailing; a children's Easter egg hunt and of course Goodwill.
Painswick yew trees
The churchyard is famous for its 99 yew trees and the legend that states that the 100th tree will never grow.
Follow Painswick Goodwill on social media
Follow Painswick Goodwill Evening on Instagram and Facebook for up-to-date details of the event from early November.
And here's a quick video of the bustling Painswick Centre during goodwill!