SHOPPERS were treated to a festive extravaganza at Waterstones' special Christmas shopping event on December 11.

Organised in conjunction with Reading's Living Advent Calendar, visitors had plenty of reasons to get excited about the evening.

Saliha Mahmood Ahmed, who won Masterchef in 2017, signed copies of her latest book for eager fans.

Local authors Peter Durrant and John Painter were also in attendance to talk about their book on Reading Abbey and the Abbey Quarter.

Volunteers from Launchpad Reading were taking donations at their gift wrapping stall, while BrewDog provided festive drinks.