BARROWFORD traders are banding together to beat the lure of out-of-town shopping malls on cold winter nights.

A bar in the town will be taken over by shopowners from the village's 'designer mile' in Gisburn Road for a night of indoor gift shopping on November 24.

The traders are aiming to showcase their Christmas collections under one roof as a way to keep local shoppers in town, rather than losing their business to bigger out-of-town shopping centres.

Rood bar has agreed to open specially for the one-off event, and Buck Fizz and festive nibbles will be served to shoppers who visit the event, which will be the first indoor evening shopping session ever held in the village.

Local stores which will be showing off their wares include designer ladieswear shop Velvet, high-class menswear store Scruples and interiors shop Dei Kau.

As well as supporting local businesses, the bazaar will also raise money for the village school, St Thomas's, with a collection.

Rood manager Rachel Stevenson said: "I think it's now well recognised that Barrowford has some of the best shopping in East Lancashire.

"Everyone living in the area ought to be proud of this and, when it comes to Christmas, show their support of local traders by keeping their Christmas spending in the village.

"The only advantage of an out-of-town shopping mall is possibly that all the shops are under one roof so if the weather is bad, you're protected.

"But as the traders are coming into Rood for the evening, they are taking away the need to go elsewhere."

Entry to the event is free and it will run from 7pm to about 9.30pm.