Karim Farujhi with his stall at the Christmas fair

A special Christmas fair, which has been “very successful” in previous years in encouraging shoppers into Ilford town centre, hopes to be as popular this festive season.

The Pottery, Gift, Home and European Fair, which opened last week, will be in High Road until Christmas Eve selling winter treats and gifts.

The large number of stalls, ranging from French crepes to handmade toys, started life as a pottery fair 14 years ago and has grown considerably over the years.

Co-ordinator Arthur Bloore said: “Since we opened last Tuesday the fair has been packed, it is so nice to see it come together. Shops have reported a 30 per cent increase in footfall which is brilliant.

“We normally hold a fair five times a year for five days in Ilford, including one at Christmas, and Redbridge Council requested we come for longer this time. We have so many stalls this years stretching along the high street”

The fair will also have some special visitors on Saturday when Redbridge Music Lounge will fill the air with festive tunes for busy shoppers.

There will also be ice sculptures and a chance for families to meet the Giant Penguin Family who will be walking around on the day.

Town centre manager Ben Collins added: “I believe the Christmas fair will drive footfall into the town centre and encourage people to shop in Ilford. “This is certainly the feedback we receive from the businesses.

“Once the customer is in the town centre they are then able to appreciate the depth of the retail offer in Ilford and hopefully spend a good proportion of the day there.

“The fair does prove popular and we will be looking at introducing not only more of these but a more diverse selection of traders in the future.”