Hurst resident Matthew Lance Smith has launched a Christmas picture book and the high street is involved, as characters from the book will appear in various windows and doors, mischievously appearing around the village. Matthew, whose son goes to St Lawrence and daughter to Cottis, writes in his spare time and has previously been Head of Creative at Moonpig and Red Letter Days.

“On New Year’s Eve, around three years ago, I scribbled a single line on a piece of paper: ‘What would animals get for Christmas?’ I had no idea at the time that it would turn into a fully illustrated children’s book, but I couldn’t quite leave the idea alone!”

Working in marketing, it was only natural that he looked for ways to bring his book to life beyond the page and is delighted with the response he has had from the High Street. “The response from local businesses has been fantastic. It’s been so lovely seeing people get behind the idea and find ways to get involved. I’m particularly excited about working with the beautiful bookshop on the high street, Village Pizza Kitchen and Rhubarb, where we’ll be bringing the characters into their window displays.”

Matthew also plans to visit Cottis and St Lawrence for readings with the children and trying to create a little Christmas magic. He’s also encouraging families to take photographs of the characters around the village and share them on Instagram, tagging his account. “I’ll be picking my favourite photo and giving the winner a framed print of one of my favourite illustrations from the book.”

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