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THE UK’s biggest one-day Christmas market is to return in just a few weeks after it was abruptly cancelled last year.

Thousands are expected to attend the event in a historic market town.

Shoppers will be able to choose from 120 stalls set up in the centre of Beverley in Yorkshire next month after council officials confirmed the event would be back in place this year.

Stalls at the Beverley Festival of Christmas will once again be brimming with seasonal gifts and local treats.

There will also be live entertainment, music and dancing – and, of course, an appearance from Santa and his reindeers – as well as birds of prey on display, and traditional brass bands.

The event had to be cancelled at the last-minute in 2024 after Storm Darragh caused chaos across the UK last year.

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Locals and visitors were left disappointed after council officials took the decision to cancel the market in the run up to the event after 34 flood warnings were issued across the country and a cold weather health alert was put in place.

At the time, a spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the event, which was established in 1995 by local shop owner John Bird, had involved six months of planning and the decision to cancel “had not been taken lightly”.

Announcing its return for 2025, councillor Nick Coultish, cabinet member for culture, tourism and leisure at the council, said the event is “the flagship tourism event for our region and is an important date in the calendar for businesses and traders”.

‘Hugely popular’

He added: “It is always a hugely popular event, with visitors from all over the UK coming to enjoy the festive stalls and entertainment. 

“The event will also provide a welcome boost to the local visitor economy at such a wonderful time of the year.”

The council said that Beverley’s historic centre will be “transformed into a magical Christmas shopper’s wonderland” for the event.

News of its return has prompted an outpouring of support and excitement with hundreds of locals and visitors commenting on Facebook.

One person posted: “I cannot wait to stand in this market. So excited.”

Another person wrote: “We will be there.”

A third person said: “Can’t wait. This is one of our fave Christmas markets.”

A fourth person was equally excited at the news the market is to return, posting: “Love Beverley. Nice place.”

A fifth said: “Will defo have to go!”

The festival will again be sponsored by The Beverley Arms, part of hospitality company Thwaites.

Rick Bailey, chairman at Thwaites, said: “We’re so proud that The Beverley Arms is once again part of The Beverley Festival of Christmas, it’s such a special celebration that brings the whole town together, showcases the very best of Beverley, and captures the true spirit of the season.”

This year’s event will run from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, 14 December.

Also making a return to Beverly this year is the Reindeer Rampage Christmas Trail, which is running from 1 November to December 31.

This is a popular event in the town with locals and visitors asked to find Santa‘s reindeer, which are “hiding” in shop windows in Beverley.

You can pick up a free map and reindeer mask from the Tourist Information Centre on Cross Street and find out more details here.

The market itself will take place over several areas in the town, including Saturday Market, and will also feature a parade to mark the start of the festival.

The parade will leave from Wednesday Market when the event opens at 10am and it will move down Toll Gavel to Saturday Market.

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Taking part in the parade will be feature Santa Claus, Rudolph and the rest of his reindeer, live music, comedy acts, steam punks, Bernese mountain dogs and much more.

This year’s event will take place on 14 December in Beverley

Rob Gronkowski first retired from the NFL in 2019 as a member of the New England Patriots.

The future Hall of Fame tight end retired again in 2022 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And even though he hasn’t played in the league since then, it appears that Gronk will retire one more time, again as a member of the Patriots.

The idea of Gronkowski signing a ceremonial one-day contract with the team that he helped win three Super Bowls was floated publicly Tuesday by Susan Hurley, the founder and president of the CharityTeams fundraising firm for nonprofits.

Hurley was speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly built “Gronk Playground” on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston when she threw in a personal plea toward Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was sitting behind Hurley next to Gronkowski.

“Can we just make it official and sign [Gronkowski] for a day so he can retire as a Patriot?” Hurley asked before looking in Kraft’s direction and adding, “What do you say?”

Gronkowski applauded and nodded while looking in Kraft’s direction. The owner, who was off camera at the time, apparently gave his approval, as Gronkowski later confirmed to reporters.

“[Kraft] gave her a thumbs up, so we’re going to make it happen in the future and it’s gonna be a special moment,” the five-time Pro Bowl selection said. “Come back for a day, a weekend, whatever it is. So we’ll make it happen and it will be a really, really cool moment. It’s gonna happen, we just don’t know when.”

The Patriots have not announced such a move and did not respond immediately on Thursday to The Times’ request to comment. On Wednesday, a somewhat less official announcement came on the Instagram account of the “Dudes on Dudes” podcast hosted by Gronkowski and former Patriots teammate Julian Edelmen.

“Gronk will sign a one day contract and retire a New England Patriot,” read the post that was accompanied by a video that featured Gronkowski speaking on the podcast about being drafted by the Patriots. The video doesn’t mention anything about him signing a one-day contract with the team, but it does feature a graphic that reads: “Breaking — Gronk will retire a New England Patriot.”

New England selected Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 draft. He became a key and beloved member of the team’s dynasty under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. After Brady left for Tampa Bay before the 2020 season, Gronkowski came out of retirement to join him and ended up winning his fourth career Super Bowl that year.

Earlier, Ormskirk-born ex-Red Rose Jones posted his first century since rejoining Lancashire from Durham over the winter. He reached a 33-ball 50 and helped them to 100-1 in the 18th over.

Either side of losing George Bell lbw playing to leg against two-wicket seamer Jack White, Jones hoisted three sixes over long-on and long-off and hit one arrow straight off Ben Coad’s seam.

He later pulled successive sixes off Matthew Revis towards the latter stages of a 92-run stand with his captain Marcus Harris, who was the first of two wickets to fall in as many overs as the score fell to 136-3 in the 24th.

Harris was caught behind driving at Revis for 32 before Coad trapped Josh Bohannon lbw without scoring.

Jones reached his century off 79 balls and hit seven sixes in all. But the visitors were checked impressively through the middle of their innings.

They were limited to 40 runs from the end of the 25th over – 143-3 – to the end of the 35th, where they reached 183-4 having lost Jones slicing White out to deep cover.

Replays suggest George Balderson was reprieved on 18 as he pulled Dan Moriarty for four. Him stepping on off-stump in the process went unnoticed by the umpires.

Balderson made a dynamic 70 off 48 balls as Lancashire fell just short of 300 in excellent batting conditions.

Tom Bailey had Adam Lyth caught behind driving early in Yorkshire’s chase, which fell to 16-1.

But Luxton kicked things into life by taking three fours and six – all through leg – off Will Williams’ first four balls, in the 11th over, as the score moved to 57-1.

From there, Luxton and Imam cruised along against a Lancashire attack lacking depth, understandable with half a dozen bowlers on Hundred duty.

By the time Luxton reached his 50 off 42 balls, Yorkshire were 107-1 after 20 overs. Imam’s third in as many matches – this off 72 balls – followed shortly afterwards.

When Luxton miscued Charlie Barnard’s left-arm spin to long-on, Yorkshire were still a long way ahead at 169-2 in the 30th over.

Imam reached his latest hundred off 118 balls by pulling Bailey for his third six before falling caught at midwicket on the pull against Arav Shetty’s spin – 220-3 in the 37th.

James Wharton and Revis wrapped things up with 41 apiece in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 75.

Match report supplied by ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay

Yorkshire and Gloucestershire produced dominant displays as both made it two wins out of two to begin their respective Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaigns.

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb 159, his highest List A score, to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in Group B.

Also on Friday, Surrey suffered a second successive Group A defeat, Ben Charlesworth hitting 80 as Gloucestershire triumphed by 85 runs in Guildford.

At Wantage Road, Ul-Haq’s innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374-5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket – and just five runs short of their highest against any first-class county.

Facing 130 balls, he hit 20 fours and two sixes, beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019, and following up the half-century that steered Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.

He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from 33 balls.

In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, all out for 172 inside 39 overs.

George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising stand of 49 in eight overs but no one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty (4-38) was the pick of Yorkshire’s attack.

Elsewhere, Ollie Sykes struck a defiant 97 off 94 balls but Surrey were still overpowered by a far more experienced Gloucestershire.

Charlesworth hit four sixes and top-scored with his 83-ball 80 in Gloucestershire’s 293-9, before Josh Shaw spearheaded an excellent collective display with the ball to restrict Surrey to 208 all out in reply.

Match report details supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay