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Bury Free Press BID Column October 2024

Who would have thought that the arrival of a small bear in a duffle coat and holding a marmalade sandwich would have created so much excitement in Bury St Edmunds? It’s been a real joy to see people of all ages sitting on the bench with Paddington at arc Shopping Centre and taking selfies. If you haven’t seen him yet, he is part of the Paddington Visits nationwide trail ahead of Paddington in Peru opening in cinemas next month.

Also next month we will be looking ahead to the festive season as the Our Bury St Edmunds Christmas Lights Event takes place from 3pm on Thursday November 14.
If you plan to be in town that evening, you’ll find lots of stalls with gifts, festive food or supporting local good causes and a range of entertainment on stage throughout the afternoon and evening, as well as street entertainment. It’s a great chance to do some Christmas shopping and, as with all our major events, it is absolutely free admission. And as our town centre shops and businesses start to decorate their windows for Christmas, watch out for details of how to vote for your favourite later in the month when we hold our annual Best Festive Window competition, which is always hotly contested.

We celebrated with a number of our member businesses recently at the Bury Free Press Business Awards. Our Bury St Edmunds BID sponsors the Customer Service Award and many congratulations go to The Wine Cellar who were the winners this year. Other member businesses to be shortlisted for awards on the night included The Evidence Rooms, Shuffle Board Café and Starlings. Starlings also have a very exciting weekend coming up, as on the morning of Sunday November 3 they will have the Premier League Trophy on display in partnership with Panini. Be sure to get there early if you want to take a photo.

It’s good to see new businesses opening in the town centre. We’ve welcomed Oliver Bonas to arc Shopping Centre and at the beginning of November Lisa Angel will open on Abbeygate Street. However a sad loss to Abbeygate Street has been the closure of Gastrono-me. Mike and Gemma who owned the business have been very supportive of the BID and I’ve known them for around 12 years. It is always sad when such a well-established independent business closes but it is a salient reminder of the challenges of running a business at the moment particularly with the post-Covid and cost of living issues facing everyone. Bury St Edmunds is not immune to these challenges and I hope that any announcements in the Budget next week don’t make things more difficult for our members and their customers. With a Government priority of economic growth, making decisions that reduce the amount of disposable income available is not going to help.

Posted 4 months ago