Date: 14 November 2022

Reference Number: 5942

Top tips to shop wisely during Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Shop wisely this sale season and avoid getting less than you bargained for with top tips from Cheshire West and Chester Council Trading Standards and Citizens Advice Cheshire West.

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday season fast approaching, the Council and Citizens Advice have released top tips to remind bargain-hunters how to shop safely online.

Their top tips for shopping wisely are:

1. Do your research: Before buying from a website you have not used before, spend a few minutes checking it out. See what people have said about the person or company you are buying from by looking at reviews on different websites – do not rely on reviews the company has put on its own website. If you are worried that something you have seen online might be a scam, you can get help from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.
2. Be wise to scams in disguise: If a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is. If it is branded but a lot cheaper than it appears on the brand’s website, it could be fake. If it isn’t branded, it could be a ‘look-a-like’ product but either way, it might not be the quality you were hoping for.
3. Ways to pay: Beware of a seller who asks you to pay by direct bank transfer. Bank transfers have limited protection if things go wrong, so avoid using them. You should only send and receive money through the online marketplace app or website using a debit or credit card, or via trusted methods of payment such as PayPal.
4. Know your rights: If you have purchased from a retailer you should be entitled to a replacement product or a repair or even a full refund if the goods are faulty. If you have bought from an individual, perhaps via an online marketplace, you have far fewer rights. In fact, you have no right to return, as long as the goods are ‘as described’. Always be sure to take a screenshot of the description and be sure to check and double check before you buy.
5. When things go wrong: Sometimes things just don’t go to plan. If you have bought something that is broken, damaged, unsafe or not what you expected then contact the seller and give them a chance to put it right. If that does not work – reach out to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

These top tips mark the start of National Consumer Week (Monday 14 November – Sunday 20 November).  The annual campaign is run by Citizens Advice in collaboration with the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP), which includes Trading Standards and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Citizens Advice Cheshire West and the Council are aware that across the borough purse strings are tightening and financial pressures are increasing every day.  With sales season fast approaching, it is vital to recognise the red flags when trying to bag a bargain in the run up to the holidays.

Anyone can be a victim of a scam, and even the savviest of shoppers can be left getting less than they bargained for. You should not feel embarrassed if you are caught out. By knowing how to shop wisely, and what to do if something goes wrong, we can better protect ourselves and each other.

For information and advice, contact Citizens Advice Cheshire West by calling Adviceline: 0808 2787 806 or using the email enquiry service Monday to Friday 9am – 4pm.  Click on this link for up-to-date information on services and opening hours. Online advice is available via webchat accessed through the Citizens Advice website. 

Date: 14 November 2022

Reference Number: 5944

Help us make Cheshire West and Chester more age-friendly

Residents of all ages and backgrounds are invited to lead the way in making Cheshire West and Chester somewhere everyone can live life to the full for longer.

Age-friendly Cheshire West is appealing for anyone who lives in the borough to get involved.

Dr Louise Taylor, chair of Age-friendly Cheshire West, said: “Cheshire West and Chester residents are living for longer, which is a fabulous issue to have, but later life can bring its own challenges.

“Getting older happens to everyone, so the issues older adults face are relevant to all of us, every day.

“Joining Age-friendly Cheshire West is a brilliant opportunity for residents of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences to make a difference now for all our futures.”

The aspiration of the Cheshire West and Chester Age-friendly network is to ensure people of all ages are treated with respect and the borough is a place where older adults feel included and valued.

Following an interruption to its work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the network relaunched in the summer with a determination to develop and work through an action plan for the next three years.

Being involved would include reviewing policies and overall direction of the network and bringing together groups of residents and local organisations.

Joining a group would require attending meetings, being out and about in your community talking with people and helping your neighbourhoods to be more welcoming to older adults.

For more information, or to get involved, contact the Council before 25 November by calling: 0300 123 8 123 and stating ‘Age-friendly’, between 8am and 7pm from Monday to Friday, or emailing: publichealth@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.

Date: 09 November 2022

Reference Number: 5939

The countdown to Christmas in Chester

Chester’s Christmas Market opens on Friday 18 November. The ever-popular market will be back in Town Hall Square and to ensure a festive feel, the Christmas lights will be on across the city centre. 

The Christmas Market will be open Sunday to Wednesday 10.30am to 6.30pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10.30am to 8pm.

Chester’s new indoor Market is now open and another new attraction this year is a weekend Makers Market being held in the new Exchange Square at Northgate from 19 November until 18 December. Exchange Square is expected to be the number one selfie spot, with a new Christmas decoration bringing a sparkle to the square.

Also new this year is the Rows Christmas Bazaar running on Thursday’s and weekends during November and December. There is a programme of activities, part of the Heritage Action Zone Project, supported by Visit Chester and Cheshire. The activities will include Christmas carols, crafts, face painting and storytelling.

In the lead up to Christmas there will be a host of parades and activities:

The key dates for the diary        

• Christmas Market – Friday 18 November to Wednesday 22 December
• Makers Market – each weekend from 19 November to 18 December
• The Rows Christmas Bazaar – from 19 November to 18 December
• Twelve Days of Christmas Parade – Thursday 24 November at 7pm
• Santa’s Grotto – 25 November until 24 December
• Christmas Past at Chester Castle – 26 November 11am to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm
• Lantern Parade – Wednesday 30 November at 7pm
• Winter Watch Parade – Thursday 8 December at 7pm
• Saturnalia Parade plus Second Winter Watch Parade – Thursday 15 December 6.30pm

The Twelve Days of Christmas parade on Thursday 24 November starts on Bridge Street at 7pm. Organised by Cheshire West and Chester Council the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ is the first of four parades to return this year.

Community groups and local artists will parade through the city centre from Bridge Street, travelling towards the Cross, Eastgate Street, St Werburgh Street, past the Town Hall and ending in Watergate Street.

Father Christmas will greet the parade with pyrotechnics at key locations, at the Cross, Eastgate Clock, Chester Cathedral, and the Town Hall.

Don’t worry if you only catch a brief glimpse of Father Christmas during the Christmas parade, he is returning to his own grotto in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre from 25 November until 24 December (details on the Chester BID website).

Chester Park and Ride is running late night services over Christmas, the last bus from Foregate Street will be 9pm on Thursdays from 17 November and then each night during Christmas week 19 to 23 December up to 9pm, the last Park and Ride bus on 24 December is 6pm.

For details about Christmas events in Chester visit: https://www.visitcheshire.com/chester/christmas/christmas-in-chester