The votes have been counted, verified, and the results are in! The annual Christmas Window Decoration competition, part of the popular Ringwood Winter Wanderland programme, saw over 800 votes cast this year.
Ringwood Fabrics has been crowned the overall winner, edging out 34 local businesses, shops, and community organisations taking part. The winners were presented with the prestigious trophy by Town Mayor, Cllr Rae Frederick.
Queen Nails claimed second place, while Little Monkeys Children’s Day Nursery at The Old Cottage came in third. BrightWater Independent Estate Agents and Champions Barbers rounded out the top five.
Angela Cork, owner of Ringwood Fabrics, was thrilled to accept the honour, especially with the shop celebrating 50 years of trading in the heart of Ringwood High Street in 2025. Angela shared the story behind their winning display: “We wanted to ensure our display involved our customers and benefited the community. We put out a call for people to knit or crochet bobble hats in shades of green with a colourful bobble on top to create a bobble hat Christmas tree. We expected around 25 hats, but we received 186, making it a truly magical and festive display!”
The hats are now being distributed to local charities, including Ringwood Foodbank, to support those in need. Any funds raised from the sale of these hats will be donated to STARF (Stronger Together Across Ringwood & Fordingbridge), which helps local families.
Cllr Rae Frederick praised the competition and Ringwood Fabrics’ efforts, saying, “Once again, Ringwood Winter Wanderland has been a huge success in supporting our wonderful local shops, businesses, and community organisations. Congratulations to Ringwood Fabrics for showcasing the incredible community spirit that defines Ringwood. I want to thank everyone who participated for their time, creativity, and hard work in making this year’s event a truly festive experience.”
For those wishing to relive the magic of the competition, all 2024 entries can be viewed in this video: Ringwood Winter Wanderland 2024 Entries.
In addition to the window competition, Ringwood Town Council also ran the Reindeer Ramble Trail, where local families helped Santa find his hidden reindeer in shop windows around town. Over 70 completed activity sheets were returned, with random winners receiving vouchers donated by local businesses, including Fred. Olsen Travel Agents, Prices Fish & Chips, Liberty's Owl, Raptor & Reptile Centre, and Lunn’s Art Shop.
Photo details – Copyright Trevor Pogson
Winner – Ringwood Fabrics (L-R: Cllr Rae Frederick - Town Mayor; Angela Cork - Shop Owner; Donna Shiner and Emma Marsh – Shop Workers)
Ringwood Fabrics Window
Ringwood Fabrics Tree display
2nd Place -Queen Nails (L-R: Wendy - Shop Owner; Cllr Rae Frederick - Town Mayor)
3rd Place – Little Monkeys (L-R: Cllr Rae Frederick - Town Mayor; Charlotte Ollington - Owner/Manager – with some of the children who attend the day nursery)
