Bognor Christmas window competition attracted votes from 37 countries

As part of its ‘Light Up Your Christmas’ campaign, the business improvement district ‘invited the world’ to vote on their favourite ‘Christmas Window Display Featuring Elves’.

The BID said the competition, which had 15 entrants, received a combined total of 1,177 responses from 37 countries.

A spokesperson said: “This was an amazing response from the local community who, by sharing with their friends on social media helped to put an international spotlight on Bognor Regis this Christmas.”

The business achieving the highest number of votes was Heygates Bookshop, which had a design featuring a handmade elf house with snow scene and traditional gas lamp.

Store owner Jason Passingham, said: “Whilst I am humbled to have won, as many will know, I just love making my shop window as eye-catching and preferably fun as possible.

"However, it would have been inappropriate as BID chairman to have claimed the £500 prize of marketing help, so I am grateful to my fellow board directors for agreeing instead to donate £250 each to Stonepillow and the food bank.”

“I can’t think of two more worthy recipients at Christmas time.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.