The winners of the Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition have been announced. Twenty six shops had asked to take part and Mama Doreen’s Emporium on Station Square has been named as the overall winner.

Woods Fine Linens in Station Parade was the winner in the large shops category, Mama Doreen’s Emporium won the medium shops category, and Bijouled in Parliament Street and Helen James Flowers in Station Parade were the joint winners in the small shops category.

The judging of the windows took place on Thursday 29 November. The Rotary Club of Harrogate organized and carried out the judging which involved 10 Rotarians, two Soroptimists, and six students from Harrogate College. They were joined by Ruth Sprowell  and her sister whose mother Val Thompson was an award-winning window dresser for prestigious shops in Harrogate from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Bettys in Parliament Street did not take part this year because they had won the large shops category for the last three years and were not eligible. Two of their window dressers took part in the judging and Bettys was given a special award for their contribution for shop window dressing for 100 years.

Graham Saunders, who organized the judging on behalf of the Rotary Club, said: “We were delighted to be able to take part again this year. Harrogate is lucky to have so many independent shops who enjoy taking part in the competition.

Soroptimist International of Harrogate and District judged the Charity Shop windows in the Harrogate District and announced that the overall winner and winner of the Soroptimist Cup this year was St Michael’s Hospice Shop in Ripon. Their delightful window impressed the judges with most items knitted by volunteers from ‘Father Christmases to complete nativity sets’ Many of the charity shop windows displayed what can be achieved with limited resources but lots of imagination.

John Fox, chairman of Harrogate at Christmas, congratulated all the retailers and charity shops for making that extra effort to decorate their window for Christmas. He welcomed a number of shops who had not taken part in the competition in previous years.

“Their efforts give Harrogate that festive feel,” he said. “We are also delighted that once again we are able to present the Silver Rose Bowl to the overall winners of the competition.

“The Rose Bowl was originally presented to the Council by the Harrogate Chamber to be awarded for the best dressed window in Italian week in 1957.

This year the winning window dressers came from Mama Doreen’s Emporium who were  given a special award in memory of Val Thompson. We’re grateful to her family for their support and enthusiasm.”

Presentations were made to representatives of all the winning shops in St Peters Church on Tuesday evening by The Mayor of Harrogate Cllr Stuart Martin, Mr. Eric Mitchell, President of the Rotary Club of Harrogate and Mrs Sylvia Purser, President of the Harrogate Soroptimists.

Results: Retail Shops in Harrogate Town Centre

Overall Winner: Mama Doreen’s Emporium

Large Shop – Winner: Woods Fine Linens, 65 – 69 Station Parade

Highly Commended:  Richard Grafton Interiors, The Ginnel

Weetons Food Hall, 23/24 West Park

Medium Shop – Winner: Mama Doreen’s Emporium, 65 – 69 Station Parade

Highly Commended: Jespers, 14 Oxford Street

Milk and Honey, 14 – 16 Cheltenham Parade

Small Shop – Joint Winner: Bijouled, 50 Parliament Street

Helen James Flowers, 63 Station Parade

Highly Commended: Yorkshire Soap Co., 1 James Street

Just s So Interiors, 33 Swan Road

Special award for shop window dressing: Bettys Parliament Street

Results: Charity Shops in the Harrogate District

Winner of the Soroptimist Cup: St Michael’s Hospice Shop, Ripon

Ripon with Gold Award: St Michael’s, Ripon

Boroughbridge  Silver Award; Scope

Ripon Highly Commended; Blue Cross, Ripon and Salvation Army Ripon

Knaresborough with Gold Award: Cliff House Community Support Services

Starbeck  Silver Award: Oxfam Knaresborough

Highly Commended; St Michael’s Hospice shops in Starbeck and Knaresborough

Harrogate Town Centre Gold Award: St Michael’s, Harrogate Town Centre

Silver Award; OXFAM Montpellier Parade

Highly Commended: Oxfam Books, Oxford Street

 

For further information please contact

Mr John Fox  johnm.fox93@gmail.com

The Lantern Parade
Jespers