Shops urged to back Ilkley Carnival competition (From Ilkley Gazette)

Shops urged to back Ilkley Carnival competition

5:00pm Saturday 16th March 2013 in Local news

Shopkeepers and town centre businesses are being asked to turn back the clocks and celebrate British history in a shop window display competition to coincide with Ilkley Carnival.
The theme of this year’s carnival, on May 6, will be British History, and organisers are again challenging local businesses to get into the spirit of the day by using their imagination to decorate their front window in keeping with the carnival theme.
The committee will be looking for the most imaginative and resourceful display and will be judging entries on April 27, with the winner announced in the week before the event.
The winning store will be invited onto the carnival’s main stage to collect their trophy.
The winning business will also receive a month’s public relations services from Ilkley company Approach PR, based on The Grove.
Last year’s winner, shop owner Victoria Newhouse from Nora’s Gifts and Interiors, is encouraging fellow retailers to start designing their displays.
“I can see the value of backing local events – we owe it to each other to support anything that brings people into town – so I was delighted to design my shop window to reflect last year’s carnival theme,” she said.
“To be voted as having the best display was brilliant but the prize of a month’s worth of free PR was a genuine boost to my business and profile.”
This year’s carnival theme was selected by public vote following suggestions from local school children. Fifty per cent of the profits from the 2013 event will go to Ilkley Good Neighbours with the remaining profit going to groups and charities helping out on the day of the carnival.
Competition sponsor Suzanne Johns, managing director of Approach PR, said: “The Shop Window Display competition is a very important part of the Carnival build up because it’s a great opportunity for Ilkley traders to showcase skills and points of difference while showing their support for one of the town’s biggest events.”
Interest in the carnival is already topping that of 2012, with the launch of new sponsor packages and the updated website which will once again be selling tickets online.
To enter your business in the window competition, e-mail carnisec@gmail.com or download the application form from the Ilkley Carnival website: carnival.ilkley.org.
Contact Colin Watson on 07885 200640 for more information on the remaining sponsor packages available.