Month: December 2024

A beauty clinic’s natural Christmas tree look with a golden bow has won the hearts of Bury St Edmunds shoppers this Christmas in the annual competition for the town’s most festive shop window. A public vote through the Our Bury St Edmunds website saw last year’s winner, Edit Clinic in Risbygate Street, take first prize again with runners up awards presented to Baileys 2 Bistro and Nightjars bar.

Victoria Last who owns the clinic said: “It’s wonderful to know that all the work that went into designing and arranging the display has been recognised. I’d like to thank our customers, shoppers and visitors to the town for taking the time to vote for us in this competition. We are very proud to win for a second year running and to be displaying the winner’s shield once again.

“I think all local businesses have done a wonderful job of decorating their shops and how proud we should all be of our town this Christmas.” The long-running competition for shops and businesses is organised by the Business Improvement District (BID) organisation Our Bury St Edmunds. Chief Executive Mark Cordell commented: “The businesses in Bury St Edmunds work so hard to make their premises look really festive and the standard this year has been incredibly high.

“This year we had more than 1050 votes in the competition, which also allowed everyone voting to be entered into a prize draw to win a festive hamper. I’d like to congratulate Victoria and her team and I am delighted to hand the Our Bury St Edmunds Shield back to her for a second successive year.”

The winner of the hamper was Rebecca M, from Bury St Edmunds, who cast her vote for Baileys 2. For more details about Christmas shopping in Bury St Edmunds town centre visit www.ouburystedmunds.com.

Christmas shoppers in Bury St Edmunds are invited to take advantage of the Free After Three parking initiative on Tuesdays in December in the town centre. A number of stores in the town centre have pledged to stay open later on Tuesdays for late night shoppers on December 3, 10 and 17.

The Free After Three initiative has been running for more than a decade and was introduced by the Business Improvement District (BID) organisation Our Bury St Edmunds in partnership with West Suffolk Council. Free parking is available every Tuesday after 3pm in the short-stay and on-street car parks. Please do check car payment machines for eligibility.

Our Bury St Edmunds BID Business Support Manager Mike Kirkham said: “Free parking is a huge incentive to come into town and will help shoppers who might not be able to fit everything into weekends in the run up to Christmas at such a busy time of year.

“And, of course, with free parking it’s not just a chance to get some shopping done but perhaps enjoy a drink or a meal at one of our hospitality businesses or even a trip to the cinema.”

The following businesses have said they will be open for some or all of the Late Night Shopping nights:

· Papaki’s Deli

· Midgar

· Mountain Warehouse

· Howden

· Lorfords

· Buy the Light

· Vino Gusto

Please do check with the above stores when they are opening late. Contact details for the above BID businesses can be found on our website at www.ourburystedmunds.com

To check which businesses at arc Shopping Centre are open late, click here.

Toy store in Bury St Edmunds is recognised at the prestigious Progressive Preschool Awards

Independent toy retailer, Starlings Toys, is delighted to have been among the winners at this year’s highly anticipated Progressive Preschool Awards, hosted at a stunning event at the Royal Lancaster London this November

More than 400 ​retailers and suppliers from across the entire preschool product and retail sector were in attendance. 

Now in its 12^th year, the Progressive Preschool Awards have become a mark of distinction and truly the accolade to strive for within this sector, making it an honour for the Bury St Edmunds based retailer having scooped the top prize in the category Best Independent Toy Retailer category.

Starlings Toys, established in 1912 with independent toy shops in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire is well known and loved by the communities it serves with its genuine passion for kids products and the joy they bring to families. 

The iconic awards recognise and celebrate excellence in the world of preschool products, with judging undertaken by an independent third-party system to deliver results as a voice of the market en-masse.  It’s a truly unique reflection of this dynamic, innovative, and vibrant sector and a great achievement for Starlings Toys to have been recognised. 

Speaking about the award win, Jonathan and Janie Starling, added: “Independent retailing comes with many highs and lows, but winning a Progressive Preschool Award is absolutely one of the highs. 

“We would be nothing without our loyal customers who trust us to bring them the latest ranges at the best prices we can offer, so we would like to take this opportunity to share this award with our local community and give our sincere thanks for their continued custom.” 

“Independent retail is a cornerstone of the toy trade, and the raft of nominations we received this year served to further underline its importance,” commented Samantha Loveday, editor of Progressive Preschool magazine, which owns and organises the Progressive Preschool Awards. “Each one of the winners has something special to offer consumers with Starlings Toys being no exception, offering a truly unrivalled experience to their loyal customer base.”

This latest accolade comes hot on the heels of a Highly Commended award for Starlings Toys in the Investing in Suffolk category of the 2024 Bury Free Press Business Awards, recently held at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds.

Doesn’t it look wonderfully Christmassy in the town centre now following the Our Bury St Edmunds Christmas Lights Event earlier in the month? It was good to see lots of people enjoying everything the afternoon and evening had to offer. Thank you to all who came along and supported the event and our wonderful stage performers too.

For the first time at the event, we had an Our Bury St Edmunds stall and it was great to chat to visitors enjoying all the entertainment and spread the word about our Town Centre Gift Card, which is always a good present at this time of year whether for a loved one or even the work Secret Santa as it’s flexible in the amount that you can give. It’s accepted by more than 70 town centre businesses too. You can find out more about how to purchase the card or the e-card version on our website.

A few days later it was St Edmund’s Day and it was good to see the flag flying from prominent buildings such as the Norman Tower. A number of our businesses also put up flags or bunting, which we have been happy to give to our member businesses free of charge in recent years. Marimba even brought out a special St Edmund chocolate truffle for the occasion.

And of course the celebrations don’t stop there. This time of year is one of the most important trading periods for many businesses. We know that the economic climate is still very challenging but our town centre remains vibrant. If you are looking to get together with friends or family or perhaps have a team night out with your colleagues then, as the foodie capital of Suffolk, you are spoilt for choice here. Our hospitality businesses offer so much variety whether you are looking for a mince pie and a seasonal hot drink, or the full turkey and Christmas pudding meal – plus everything in between – but all will appreciate you booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

If you are out and about in the town centre with a four-legged friend then I’m delighted that Bury St Edmunds has been officially recognised as the UK’s most dog friendly town. After a public vote, the winners of the DogFriendly Awards were announced last week.

Finally, it’s time to cast your vote in the annual Our Bury St Edmunds most festive window competition. The town centre businesses really do pull out all the stops with their windows and it’s so difficult to choose a favourite. But with your help we will find a winner who’ll get to display the shield for the next year. If you are a participating business make sure to tell all your customers to visit the Our Bury St Edmunds website and vote before December 13. Everyone who votes will be entered into a draw to win a festive hamper.

By Our Bury St Edmunds BID Business Support Manager Mike Kirkham.