The countdown to Christmas fayre is on

The countdown to Christmas begins in Bury St Edmunds with the award wining annual fayre and the chance to meet Santa himself.
Father Christmas will be taking a break from his busy schedule to come to Bury St Edmunds for the Christmas Fayre from Thursday 23 November through to Sunday 26 November.

So if you are looking for somewhere wonderful to take your children to meet Santa, then his grotto in the magnificent Abbey Gardens is the place to go.
Children and adults can also meet some real life reindeer as Rudolph and company will be setting down in the Abbey Gardens from the Friday onwards. Don’t forget to post your messages to Santa in our magic postbox. Santa can then reply when he gets back to the North Pole.
Obviously there’s no let up for the elves busy making toys for all the good girls and all the good boys. You will be able to some of the more junior elves at work under the watchful guidance of St Nic himself.

And there’s plenty more to keep young as well as the young at heart dazzled and entertained at this year’s Christmas Fayre.
You can enjoy the funfair on Angel Hill and in the Abbey Gardens. As an added bonus, if you pop along on the Thursday when the fayre starts at 2pm, for discounted rides and games. Make sure you take your children to The Traverse where local businesses will be hosting a range of fun activities including a chance to meet a variety of small animals.

Opening night is always a fantastic community event and this year we will have a school lantern parade as well as a dazzling free firework display in the Abbey Gardens.

Cllr John Griffiths, Leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Cabinet said: “It’s a magical time of the year and we are very proud of the fayre which involves so many people from the local community from choirs and schools as well as the town centre businesses all of whom, like us, love where they live.
The fayre is part of the Councils ongoing commitment to not only to our families and communities but also to supporting the success of the local economy both in Bury St Edmunds and across West Suffolk. “Our fayre was crowned as the UK’s best following a public vote last year and I am very much looking forward to welcoming our local residents and visitors to this fabulous event.”

Cllr Griffiths added: “While there is no evidence of any specific threat, like any other large events across the UK, you may see a range of physical security measures at this year’s Christmas Fayre as a precaution. They include a variety of effective bollard and barrier systems that have been approved and meet national standards. Some of our measures have also been designed and integrated as part of our street furniture to blend into the aesthetics of our beautiful town, so they may not be apparent, but they are there. We would also like to say thank you to the Police who have worked with us and encourage visitors to say hello to officers and also give them your support as they will also be on patrol and are part of public services working together to support our communities and help people enjoy this great event.”
A police spokesman said: “As always, we are looking forward to policing the Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre again this year. We’ll have uniformed (armed and unarmed), plain clothed patrols and police dogs on site, who will be working hard to keep everyone safe and make sure they have a great time.
“We will be deploying a range of highly skilled and specially trained officers who will be working close with security staff to keep an eye on the site to maintain a crime-free event.

“We also ask you the public to remember you also have key role to play in help keeping yourself and event safe. If you see anything unusual, trust your instincts and immediately call security on 01284 758008 or 01284 758009, the police on 101 or 999 depending on urgency.”
Keep an eye out for further updates on the Christmas Fayre nearer the time at www.burystedmundschristmasfayre.co.uk and like the Facebook page at /burystedmundschristmasfayre