BLAKEMERE Village is celebrating 25 years of independent shopping in Cheshire this year and they are inviting residents to join the celebration.

The family-run business was opened in 1994 by pig farmer Gordon Gerrard, who opened it to diversify the business by utilising the Edwardian courtyard and the former stable block.

Blakemere Village is now run by Gordon’s children Ginny White and Tim Gerrard and is home to a collective of independent retail and leisure attractions.

Ginny White, director of Blakemere Village said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 25 years of Blakemere Village.

“As a team we are so proud of what we have achieved since our beginnings as a pig farm, to now welcoming weekly coach groups, campers and caravanners and event-goers from across the North as well as our regulars from the local community of Sandiway and Cuddington and Northwich.

“There are also exciting development plans ahead for the coming years as we continue to grow our numbers and contribute even more towards Cheshire’s thriving visitor economy.”

The seasonal children’s trails will take place during the school holidays.

These include the ‘Polly Pig’ trail marking the site’s own history as a pig farm, the ‘Zombie Pirate’ trail and the ‘Christmas Woodland’ trail in December.

Blakemere’s chosen charity of the year for this important year will be Joshua Tree which is a small local charity working with families who are affected by childhood cancer.

Fundraising efforts throughout the year will be in support of the Joshua Tree and their new support centre which is currently under development in Sandiway.

A new tenant with new shop ‘Farrow House’ opening early this year specialising in quality antiques, up-cycling and vintage interiors.

The Blakemere Touring Park offers more than 50 pitches year-round for caravans and tents and the site now has planning approval for 14 glamping pods which are due to be opened in 2020.

For more information on the business, visit the website blakemerevillage.com/