Month: October 2025

Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in the town centre is something that the BID and our partners take very seriously. It’s not the remit of one organisation alone and in fact all of us have a responsibility to report issues and work together to keep our town as safe as possible for businesses, residents and visitors alike. This month we formally launched the ShopSafe Alert system to BID members which allows them to share information safely and efficiently in real time. It’s available free to all our member businesses and 70 have already been using it for some months as part of a trial. Please do contact the BID office if you’d like your business to join it.

As I have commented here previously, something that I feel Bury St Edmunds does very well is customer service – and any initiatives that we can take to support or improve that are always taken seriously. Once again this year the Our Bury St Edmunds BID-sponsored Customer Service category at the Bury Free Press Business Awards was hotly contested but I was delighted to present the award to The Angel Hotel. Congratulations also to the two runners-up Bellota restaurant and Hestia Clinic which also won the Small Business of the year category.

We’re now less than three weeks away from the Our Bury St Edmunds Christmas Lights Event on the afternoon and evening of Thursday November 20 – which of course is also St Edmund’s Day. Join us in the town centre from 3pm for an afternoon and evening of entertainment on the stage and around the town centre including the wonderful Snow Lion and Polar Bear characters and a chance to have a picture taken with St Edmund and his friendly wolf. Cornhill and Buttermarket will be packed with stalls for those looking to get the Christmas shopping started too.

And as our town centre shops and businesses start to decorate their windows for Christmas, we’ll also be opening voting the week after our Christmas Lights Event for the town centre’s Best Festive Window competition, so if you’re participating do remind your customers to vote.

It’s going to be a very busy few days around that time because as well as the build up to Christmas and the celebration of our town’s namesake saint, November 20 is also the day of the national Dog Friendly Awards. Last year Bury St Edmunds was named the most dog friendly town or city and we are delighted to have reached the final three again this year. Thank you if you voted in the awards to help us get there – we are all keeping our fingers and paws crossed as we await news of the winner.

Finally, earlier this month we also held the BID’s AGM. Many thanks to those businesses who came along – it was a chance to update members on our recent achievements and our plans for the coming year.

A magical pair of larger-than-life festive characters are coming to Bury St Edmunds for the town’s annual Christmas Lights Event on Thursday November 20.  After the hugely popular Snow Lion wowed visitors of all ages at last year’s event it’s returning this year and bringing a friendly Polar Bear along too.

The traditional free admission event, packed full of entertainment and fun activities, will be the first chance to see the fabulous illuminations as well as a chance to meet Santa and other favourite seasonal characters.  And, as it is also St Edmund’s Day, there’ll be a special wolf-themed free children’s workshop from Crafty Foxes.  There will also be a chance to have a photo with St Edmund and his wolf to highlight the story of the town’s namesake saint.

The Christmas Lights Event in the town is organised by Our Bury St Edmunds BID.  Chief Executive Mark Cordell said: “It’s wonderful that we are celebrating the start of the festive season and St Edmund’s Day at the same time.  The stunning Snow Lion with the Red Queen and the magical Polar Bear are going to be the stars of the show for many, but we’ll also have St Edmund as well as a number of other characters and entertainers. Bury St Edmunds Round Table have made sure Santa and his sleigh and elves aren’t needed at the North Pole that day too.  For many this really is the start of their Christmas, seeing the lights as dusk falls, enjoying the entertainment, shopping at our eclectic mix of stalls and popping into one of our food and drink businesses for a festive treat.”

The Cornhill and Buttermarket will be full of stalls, featuring crafts and gifts as well as those supporting charities and local good causes.  There’ll be plenty of opportunities for Christmas shopping as well as a range of fairground rides including a big wheel and a helter-skelter. The Snow Queen, Ice Princess and their Snowman friend will also be among the crowd to meet fans of all ages.  Throughout the afternoon and evening the stage entertainment will include performances from local groups, choirs, schools and colleges.

All the lights in the displays use the most energy-efficient LED bulbs and the time they remain on is carefully managed to conserve energy.

The Our Bury St Edmunds Christmas Lights Event runs from 3pm to 8pm. It’s supported by Bury St Edmunds Town Council and ShopSafe.  More information is available at www.ourburystedmunds.com and on social media @ourburysteds.

A gift card which was launched to help Bury St Edmunds town centre as the nation came out of the pandemic is celebrating its fifth anniversary and going from strength to strength. And as the festive season approaches, it’s a great choice as staff Christmas gifts are on the minds of many workers and employers alike.

Launched in November 2020 by Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID), the gift card has been a popular choice for a number of companies ever since. It can be spent in 80 shops, restaurants, wellbeing and other businesses in the town centre, meaning spending is locked into the local economy. To date more than £180,000 has been spent with the Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Gift Card.

Business Support Manager at Our Bury St Edmunds BID Mike Kirkham said: “Research has shown that in recent years one of the most popular choices for businesses and corporate gifting has been a gift card, above rewards like hampers or even cash bonuses. It gives a level of choice in spending it and doesn’t have to be spent all at once. There is now also a strong demand for e-gift cards because of the widespread use of digital wallets and smart devices.

“We’ve been proud of the way the Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Gift Card has grown in the five years since its launch. Our digital option, introduced last year, presents a new opportunity to reward teams with an e-card that can be delivered on a date or time of their choosing, enabling planning and minimising the administration involved in gifting colleagues a local reward.”

The card is Mastercard-backed and is also a great choice for individuals looking for a Secret Santa gift for a colleague. To buy the card as an individual gift couldn’t be simpler. It can be ordered online either as a card that’s posted out or as an e-card and a number of shops in the town centre also stock the card where it can be picked up free of charge and loaded with the gift amount online.

For more information visit www.ourburystedmunds.com. Businesses wishing to purchase as a corporate gift should contact Mike Kirkham by email at mike.kirkham@ourburystedmunds.com or by calling 07885 990713.

Bury St Edmunds has made the finals of the Dog Friendly Awards 2025 in the Most Dog Friendly Town/City category.

Last year the town scooped first prize and was named the UK’s Most Dog Friendly Town.

The awards run by Dog Friendly Magazine, will take place at The Kennel Club HQ in London on November 20. The three finalists are Bury St Edmunds, Cockermouth, and Keswick.

The town has had its own Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds scheme for the last five years to let visitors know where you can bring your four-legged pal. More than 150 businesses are signed up.

Wherever the #dogfriendlybse paw print logo sticker is displayed in windows, businesses will welcome dogs in a town-wide and beyond initiative from Bury St Edmunds Town Council, Camp Tails Doggy Daycare, Our Bury St Edmunds BID (Business Improvement District) and Bury St Edmunds and Beyond.

Dog Friendly businesses in the town centre are also marked with a blue paw on the Our Bury St Edmunds BID Town Map.

With dog-friendly accommodation, cafes and restaurants, plus attractions and days out that your pooch will love, the historic town and surrounding towns and villages are the ideal place to enjoy a short break or holiday with every member of the family – including the furry variety!

Jon Kay, Owner of Camp Tails Doggy Daycare, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Bury St Edmunds has once again been recognised as one of the most dog-friendly towns in the country — for the third year in a row! This recognition is something our whole community can be proud of, reflecting the wonderful collaboration between dog owners, local businesses, Our Bury St Edmunds BID, the local council, and Camp Tails.

“We’re excited at the prospect of winning for the second consecutive year, but being a finalist alone is already a fantastic achievement. It truly highlights Bury St Edmunds’ deep-rooted love of dogs. From shops and pubs to galleries and even our cathedral, well-behaved dogs are welcome almost everywhere here — it’s part of what makes our town so special!”

The DogFriendly Awards is an opportunity to recognise and reward dog friendly places and pet businesses that go the extra mile for the benefit of the UK’s 12.5 million dogs and their owners. Winners of the DogFriendly Awards in each of the categories are chosen by public vote.

Chief Executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, Mark Cordell said: “We were absolutely delighted that we won the UK’s Most Dog Friendly Town award last year and I am very pleased we are finalists this year. The town has always been an authentically dog friendly place to visit but thanks to the dog friendly scheme, started by Jon Kay at Camp Tails Doggy Daycare and Bury St Edmunds Town Council, people can see easily and clearly which venues they can take their dog into.

“It hasn’t escaped my notice that the winners are being announced on St Edmund’s Day this year, let’s hope that’s a good omen.”

The town now also has dog friendly film screenings at Abbeygate Cinema, dog friendly tours of the town, and even an annual dogs of the cathedral calendar for St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

To find out more about Dog Friendly Bury St Edmunds visit www.dogfriendlybse.co.uk

To find out more about the awards visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/awards

Retail crime and anti-social behaviour are to be targeted in a new initiative for Bury St Edmunds town centre.  Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID) is working with ShopSafe which has developed the Alert system to provide a secure and efficient crime-fighting tool.

The initiative was launched this week (Monday 20 October) after a successful trial within the town centre.  Supported by Suffolk Police, ShopSafe Alert allows businesses to assist each other with intelligence about offenders together with pictures, while complying with current information sharing legislation.

Mike Kirkham, the BID’s Business Support Manager, said: “We are fortunate to live and work in a lovely town. But in any town or city there is a minority that will take advantage of a thriving town centre.

“When the BID was elected for a fourth term from 2025, we promised we would continue to work with our partners to help reduce retail crime and anti-social behaviour. The ShopSafe Alert system is one way we can do this while striving to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience here.”

The launch took place at The Apex, highlighting that 70 businesses have been using the technology since the trial of the system began in February.

Martin Gregg, Head of Customer Success at ShopSafe added: “ShopSafe has worked in Bury St Edmunds for a number of years in a partnership with West Suffolk Council’s CCTV control room from where we have had links with businesses and the town pastors.  We are delighted to be working with Our Bury St Edmunds BID to introduce the ShopSafe Alert crime intelligence platform. This collaboration promotes community safety and strengthens the prevention and detection of crime by enabling smarter information-sharing across local businesses and partners.”

Users of the technology have described it as a valuable additional tool to keep businesses safe.  Janie Starling from Starlings Toys in arc Shopping Centre said: “We’ve been so impressed with this system.  It’s really easy to use so if staff here need to report an incident or suspect, they can do so very quickly.  If information has been uploaded by a nearby business, it means we can be swiftly made aware if it’s thought a suspect is targeting a number of shops.  By sharing information in real time we can all help to protect our town centre.”

Chief Inspector Pete Partridge, Tactical Lead for Suffolk Police commented: “Suffolk Constabulary is committed to harnessing technology to strengthen our partnership with retailers and enhance community safety. ShopSafe Alert represents a proactive step in bridging the gap between policing and local businesses, aligning with our support for the National Retail Crime Action Plan and our wider commitment to prevention and victim-focused policing.”

The ShopSafe Alert system is available free to all BID member businesses across Bury St Edmunds town centre.