A CHRISTMAS advert showcasing the wide array of businesses Wimborne has to offer racked up more than 50,000 views on the day of its release.

Created by Wimborne Business Improvement District (BID) in collaboration with Gray Creative Agency, the festive advert draws inspiration from the famous 1980s TV advert for Yellow Pages, ‘Fly Fishing,’ by JR Hartley.

Like the good old Yellow Pages, the message is you can find anything in Wimborne  – even an out-of-print book  – if you know where to look.

Film director Justin Gray said: “Creating this year’s Christmas short film for Wimborne Minster, inspired by an iconic 80s Yellow Pages advert, holds a special place in my heart.

“This marks the seventh year of bringing this festive tradition to life, and it’s my way of celebrating our community and the unique charm of our town.

“I hope this film not only captures the nostalgia and warmth of the season but also encourages people to support our local shops and experience the magic of Wimborne during the Christmas holidays.”

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Fiona Harwood, chair of Wimborne BID said: “Wimborne is such a magical place at Christmas and these adverts are a really unique way for Wimborne BID to encourage people to discover the town and support local. The film is about marketing the town for the benefit of all businesses.

“We’ve seen a lot of love for this year’s advert and for Wimborne, which just shows what a great community we have here”.

The film featured Wimborne actor John Billington and 13-year-old Broadstone Middle School pupil Tilly-Rose Lynch.

Lights, camera and action in Wimborne Minster to encourage people to shop local Picture: Wimborne BID

Tilly said: “I had the best time filming the ad. All of the cast and production team were so lovely and completely made me feel at ease as I was a little nervous to start with.

“This is my first film, but I want to do more. I honestly loved every second of it!”

Tammy Sleet, BID manager, said: “Against Storm Darragh, that sadly wiped out a lot of Small Business Saturday activities in the town, our home-grown advert has lifted spirits and we hope it will help drive local high street awareness in the run up to Christmas.”

The advert can be found on Wimborne BID’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.