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
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 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
