The campaign which kicks off on November 14 will see $400 drawn each Saturday from November 22 for four consecutive weeks, every Saturday between 11am and noon. Draws will take place in the town square and if the winner is in town and can claim their prize within three minutes of it being drawn they can win an extra $100. The first draw will coincide with and be a part of the Grey St upgrade opening.

The culmination of the campaign will be a grand prize winner who will win the ‘Celtic cash’ swipe card which has a total value of $2000, all of which can be spent locally in town at participating stores. Each of the weekly winner s also receive  ‘Celtic vouchers’ with the prize money only able to spent at registered Spend in Glen businesses.

There will also be the chance for Glen Innes shoppers to reward the service of their favourite local shop assistant with the ‘Service with a smile award’ also drawn each week. The service with a smile award allows customers to write on their receipts the name of the shop assistant who provided them with great service, which they then place in one of five wheelie bins placed around the CBD with the lucky winner scoring $100.

The Spend in Glen campaign is free for businesses this year as Glen Innes Severn Council has offered up the prize money but to be a part of the campaign businesses must register beforehand. 

Organiser Moira Munro told The Examiner the campaign will be open to all businesses in the local government area (LGA).

“There will be an email coming out soon about the campaign and it is open to the whole LGA so Deepwater and Emmaville business are able to register, and if any businesses don’t receive the email they can still register by contacting Jim Ritchie from Business in Glen,” she said.

Mrs Munro said the event is not just a promotion but a thankyou to locals who, wherever possible, shop in town.

“It is very much a thankyou for being loyal and shopping in town so it’s both a promotion and a thankyou. We have always looked at it in that way.”

Glen Innes Severn mayor Colin Price said the Spend in Glen campaign will be a great way for people to celebrate the festive season while also helping the local economy.

“It’s an opportunity for a real celebration of Christmas and the opening of the Grey St upgrade and we hope it gives people an opportunity to shop locally as there has been a renewed interest in retail space of late and we are even hopeful of attracting people from surrounding towns to do some shopping in Glen,” the councillor said.

There will also be a last minute shopper’s day on December 21.