Over the past few weeks, Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker set himself the challenge of buying or pre-ordering most of his Christmas gifts, food or drink in shops located in Bracknell town centre, and now he is calling on the borough’s residents to do the same.

For those who accept the challenge and get their purchases from participating shops in the town centre — including Market Street, High Street, Princess Square and Charles Square — there is the chance to be entered in to a prize draw.

Cllr Brunel-Walker, executive member for economic development and regeneration, said: “There are some real gems in Bracknell town centre and I think many of us forget what a fantastic array of shops we have on our doorstep. This year I decided to shop locally to support Bracknell’s business and to see if it could save me time and money.

“It was great to be able to take advantage of the low-cost or free parking and enjoy a hassle-free shopping experience. There’s often the perception that shopping local means paying more but this simply isn’t the case.

“I’m now issuing a similar challenge to all Bracknell Forest residents to see if they can shop locally to save time and money and support local businesses at the same time.” Shoppers simply need to spend £20 or more in a participating shop – identifiable by a poster in the window – and have their card stamped at the checkout or customer service desk. Once they have four stamps they should return the card to Bracknell Forest Council at either Easthampstead House or its offices at Time Square. Stamps can be collected between now and Monday, January 5.

Cllr Brunel-Walker will then select 10 people who have successfully completed the challenge to win £250 cashback — funded by his members’ initiative fund.

Cards about the challenge will also be posted to every house in the borough over the next few days. The closing date for entries is Monday, January 5, and winners will be selected at random the following day. For more information, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk