Bury St Edmunds is voted one of the UK’s most dog friendly towns
Dog-lovers have voted a Suffolk town one of the most dog friendly in the UK. At an awards ceremony in London yesterday (Thursday November 20) Bury St Edmunds was the runner up as the UK’s most dog friendly town making it the third year running that it has reached the final of the competition which is chosen by public vote.
Chief Executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, Mark Cordell said: “We are disappointed not to win the title but we are incredibly proud to still be one of the most dog friendly towns in the UK and we thank everyone who voted for Bury St Edmunds. With our town centre welcoming dogs in many of our businesses, it means that residents and visitors know that they can stay longer in town and don’t have to leave their four-legged member of their family at home. I would like to pass on my congratulations to Cockermouth Town who took the overall title this year.”
Bury St Edmunds has developed its own dog friendly scheme which helps visitors and residents easily identify where their canine companion is made welcome. Around 140 different businesses have signed up to the scheme meaning they can display a blue paw print logo sticker and water bowl.
Owner of doggy daycare centre Camp Tails, Jon Kay, who helped found the town’s dog friendly initiative attended the ceremony with his dog Loki. He added: “We are thrilled to be again recognised as one of the most dog friendly towns in the country for the third year in a row. Even though we didn’t quite get the top accolade this year, we know the efforts of our community have been noticed and we are all super proud of the achievement! Well done to Cockermouth Town. We will see you next year for sure!”
Bury St Edmunds Town Council is one of the partners behind the town’s dog friendly initiative. Town Clerk Jodie Budd also attended the ceremony and commented: “On behalf of Bury St Edmunds Town Council I was delighted to attend this ceremony. Unfortunately Bury St Edmunds didn’t win this year, however it is still an extremely dog friendly town to visit.”
The DogFriendly Awards 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. For more information about Bury St Edmunds Dog Friendly Scheme visit www.dogfriendlybse.co.uk or watch the video on YouTube, which gives a real dog’s eye view of the town.
