Maidenhead & Windsor

Top honours in this year's Maidenhead best-dressed Christmas window competition are shared between a long-established local independent business and the local branch of a national retail chain.

R H Sands & Sons, of Queen Street, Maidenhead and Evans in the Nicholsons Shopping Centre, Maidenhead were awarded equal points by the judges of the competition organised for Maidenhead Town Partnership (MTP) by town manager Martin Fletcher.

Maidenhead Councillor Vicky Howes, MTP chairman, said: "We are lucky in Maidenhead to have such a wide range of shops and doubly fortunate that many of the owners and managers care enough to make special efforts with their window displays. By joining in the Christmas spirit, shops and businesses add to the festive sparkle and contribute so much to the friendly family atmosphere in the town."

The two winning displays are very different and typify the variety that marked all the entries. Sands' window has a very "chilled" Santa relaxing on one of the company's sofas, while Evans' effort is a more traditional use of snow-covered trees to show off some of the Maidenhead store's merchandise.

The joint runners-up were Fleur de Lis Florist and Beds Are Uzzz, both of King Street, Maidenhead.

Martin Fletcher said the judges were impressed by the standard of all the entries this year. "There were only a few points between them," he said. "It's very rewarding to see so much creativity and imagination put to work in promoting the town's businesses."

All four of the top Maidenhead windows were awarded certificates recording their successes, while the two winners also received champagne and chocolates to celebrate their victory.

As well as providing a bit of fun and interest for those taking part, the competition raised £95 towards the Maidenhead Advertiser Cracker Appeal, as each of the participants made a donation to this local good cause when they submitted their entry forms.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead ~ 30-Nov-2005