Joint win for Furnish and Fettle with Boho Chic in Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition

The winners of the Harrogate Christmas Shop Window Competition have been announced. Although there were fewer entries than last year when the TV cameras were around the standard remained very high.

For the first time the judges were unable to choose between the top two shop windows and therefore Furnish and Fettle in Royal Parade and Boho Chic in West Park were announced as the overall joint winners of the Christmas shop window competition.

Bettys in Parliament Street was the winner in the large shops category, Furnish and Fettle in Royal Parade won the medium shops category, and Boho Chic in West Park was the winner in the small shops category. The results were announced and certificates presented at an event for all the successful shops in St Peter’s Church on Tuesday

More than 40 shops and offices which contributed to the Christmas lights entered the Harrogate Shop Window Competition and the judging of the windows took place on Thursday 29 November. The Rotary Club of Harrogate organized and carried out the judging which involved 11 Rotarians as well as some of their wives, two Soroptimists, and three students from Harrogate College.

They were joined by Ruth Sprowell whose mother Val Thompson was an award-winning window dresser for prestigious shops in Harrogate from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Working in pairs, each group of judges scored the shop windows on the basis of illumination, innovation and the Spirit of Christmas. At the end of the judging all the scores were brought together to agree the outright winners and any highly commended windows.

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 Station Parade in Harrogate. The judges were impressed by the innovation, impact and the spirit of Christmas in many of the charity shop windows and 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.

John said:

Their efforts give Harrogate that festive feel.

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 two shops who were given a special award in memory of Val Thompson. We’re grateful to her family for their support and enthusiasm.

The winners and highly commended certificates were presented by the Mayor, Coun Bernard Bateman together with the President of the Rotary Club of Harrogate, Maurice Bull and the President of the Harrogate Soroptimists, Elsie Johnston in an event for representatives from all the winning shops in St Peter’s Church on Tuesday evening.

Retail Shops in Harrogate Town Centre

Overall Joint Winners: Furnish and Fettle, 10 Royal Parade and Boho Chic, 21 West Park

Large Shop

Winner: Bettys, Parliament Street

Highly Commended: Richard Grafton Interiors, The Ginnel

Medium Shop

Winner: Furnish and Fettle, 10 Royal Parade

Highly Commended: Jespers, 14 Oxford Street, Milk and Honey, 14 – 16 Cheltenham Parade and Just so Interiors, 33 Swan Road

Small Shop

Winner: Boho Chic, 21 West Park

Highly Commended Bijouled, 50 Parliament Street, Miss Claire Rose, 4A Commercial Street and The Cheese Board, 1 Commercial Street

Charity Shops in the Harrogate District

Overall Winner: St Michael’s Hospice Shop, Station Parade

Ripon with Boroughbridge Gold Award; YMCA Boroughbridge

Silver Award; Saint Michael’s Hospice Ripon

Highly Commended; Scope Ripon

Knaresborough Gold Award; Age UK Knaresborough

Starbeck Silver Award; Oxfam Knaresborough

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

Harrogate Town Centre Gold Award; St Michael’s Hospice Station Parade

Silver Award; OXFAM Montpellier Parade

Highly Commended; British Heart Foundation Oxford Street and the Fair Trade Shop St Peter’s Church