Bury Free Press BID Column July 2026
What fabulous weather we have had this month, albeit gardens, allotments etc could do with some rain. Unsurprisingly, the good weather has attracted people into our town centre. Consequently, footfall for the month is currently looking very positive when compared with July ’25 and last month. This is obviously a big boost for our businesses and thank you for all the support you provide to our town centre businesses.
The warmer weather in recent years has seen an increase in the number of vineyards in Suffolk and many are within a few miles of Bury. Visit East of England has created a Suffolk Wine Trail, with a focus on 8 specific vineyards many of whom are close to Bury and this is yet another way that we work with others and on our own to promote Bury as a great place to visit.
Speaking of wine, don’t forget that our popular Food & Drink Festival returns over next month’s Bank Holiday weekend. On the 30th and 31st August, Bury St Edmunds town centre will be buzzing with an incredible selection of food and drink, alongside live demonstrations from talented local chefs.
Wine lovers are in for a treat too, with expert tastings and insights from some of our fantastic local wine businesses. This year, Jake from Vino Gusto will be joining us on the Sunday, while Brad from The Wine Cellar will be taking to the stage on the Monday. Best of all, entry is completely free. To find out more and plan your visit, head to the Our Bury St Edmunds website.
There’s a new Sheriff in town and it’s not Woody from Toy Story 5! It seems like there’s a new announcement daily from our new Prime Minister and the most relevant one for our BID members was the reduction on business rates for pubs of £1000 from April.
Although, in reality, this will do very little to offset the increases in operational costs our pubs have had to endure since the 2024 election. Nonetheless, it is a very positive indicator that the PM is aware of the huge financial challenges pub operators are facing and hopefully this is just the first of many actions to redress the balance for all of our town centre businesses.
It was another case of deja vu at the World Cup, with England yet again almost getting to the final and managing to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory!
Therefore, our win in 1966 remains the only time we have won the World Cup and our free to enter town centre trail, commemorating this success continues. All you need to do is find ten ’66 World Cup related items in businesses across the town centre to be in with a chance of winning, one of three, town centre gift cards.
Entry forms are available online, at the Our Bury St Edmunds website, at The Apex and Cathedral tourism point and previous editions of the Bury Free Press. The main purpose of this trail is to provide free entertainment for families during the school holidays and also encourage people to visit parts of the town that they might not ordinarily do and visit businesses they haven’t been into previously.
