IF you went down to Renfrew at the weekend, you were in for an ‘elf-tastic’ surprise, as kids from far and wide got involved in a festive quest. 

The town’s Sue Ryder charity shop got into the Christmas spirit on Saturday by hosting an Elf Hunt involving other local businesses.

Starting at the Dunlop Street store, Santa’s little hunters were able to pick up a form for £1 which gave them a clue about where they could find some cheeky elves who were hiding in shop windows across the town. 

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Each elf concealed in a shopfront was holding his or her name, which had to be written on the child’s form before they could move on to hunt for another of the 10 little helpers. 

And the purpose of the game wasn’t just to spread festive joy to the people of Renfrew but also to encourage residents to support their local businesses at this time of year. 

Jillian McNeill, manager at the Sue Ryder shop, said: “We wanted to encourage more people to shop with local businesses, rather than heading to big shopping centres.

“The event was quite popular, although I think the weather put some people off.”

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Funds raised from the event will go towards the Dee View Appeal, which supports the expansion of a purpose-built specialist neurological centre in Aberdeen, which will increase capacity from 24 residents to 55.

For more information, visit www.sueryder.org.