The votes have been counted and verified, and the results are in. The annual Christmas Window Decoration competition, part of the popular Ringwood Winter Wonderland programme, saw over 800 votes cast this year.
Ringwood Fabrics on High St 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 the Town Mayor, Cllr Rae Frederick.
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 said: “We wanted to ensure our display involved our customers and 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.
“We had all sorts of people make hats for us, some who had never knitted before and some that just wanted to make lots of pompoms.”
Ringwood Fabrics window (Image: Trevor Pogson) READ MORE: Sue Ryder calling for volunteers for its charity shops
The competition was decided by a public vote, where each shop window had a QR for people to scan to vote.
Angela said: “I really wanted to win this year because of our 50-year milestone and we’ve been here for 22 years now.
“The window display definitely brought lots of new customers. We had lots of people just pop in to say how nice they thought it looked and then realised how much stuff we sell, so it was good for business as well.”
The hats are now being sold and any funds raised from the sale of these hats will be donated to STARF (Stronger Together Across Ringwood & Fordingbridge), which helps local families. Some hats are also being distributed to local charities, including Ringwood Foodbank, to support those in need.
Cllr Rae Frederick praised the competition and said: “Once again, Ringwood Winter Wonderland 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.”
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.