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Weekly welcomes neighbouring daily’s Christmas markets admission

sophie-prideaux-jpeg-256x256_q100_crop-smartA weekly newspaper has welcomed an admission by a neighbouring daily’s journalists and readers that its patch hosts a superior Christmas market.

The Bath Chronicle ran a piece on the success of the Roman city’s festive event, singling out praise from Bristol Post lifestyle editor Sophie Prideaux, pictured left.

Sophie said that Bath’s effort felt “infinitely more Christmassy” compared to Bristol’s, with many Post readers travelling to the former to soak up the atmosphere.

The Chronicle also quoted several Post readers as being in agreement.

The Chronicle’s piece states: “It seems that Bristolians are fed up with their poor attempt at a Christmas market and are spurning it in favour of coming to Bath. And who can blame them?

“Not for them Bristol’s fairground stalls – complete with a bizarre ‘save Santa’ hook a duck stall, stalls blaring out Justin Bieber and a less than festive atmosphere. The Bristol Post has said Bath’s Christmas Market is way better than its own – with its readers quick to agree.”

Both newspapers are owned by Trinity Mirror.

Sophie said: “Since the city’s markets opened at the end of November, you’ve barely been able to move on the platforms at Temple Meads, and once you get to Bath, the crowds are even worse.

“Dozens of extra trains have been put on to transport Bristol’s Christmas shoppers to Bath’s markets, so what is it that makes them so much more appealing than ours?

“From the outside, it’s the same wooden chalets that fill the main shopping streets. It’s the same smell of mulled wine and German sausage filling the air, and it’s the same novelty personalized Christmas decorations on sale.

“But it just feels different. It feels infinitely more Christmassy, and clearly, that is what has got people from Bristol flocking there in their hundreds.”