THE WINNER of this year’s Christmas window dressing competition in Nailsworth is jewellery and gift shop Armed and Gorgeous.

The shop, in Fountain Street, had a stunning display of handbags and baubles hanging from ribbons and clasped elegantly by wooden hands.

Staff had clearly made a huge effort making their windows decorative in order to best exhibit the accessories, and quirky gift items available in the store.

Shop owner Liz Gazzard won a trophy which she will keep until next year.

Commenting on scooping the award she said: “It was a lovely unexpected surprise after all the hard work we put into making the window look beautiful.

“Thank you to all our wonderful customers for your support over the past year.”

Brutons Hardware was just pipped for second place by The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, also in Fountain Street, with a winter woodland scene invoking the spirit of CS Lewis’ novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Snow layered the windowsill and tree branches the height of the glass pane were interspersed among Christmassy books.

The scene made you want to curl up in front of a fire with a hot drink to escape into a good story.

Finally the shop which claimed the Judge’s Special Prize was Raffles Fine Wines in Old Market.

It had two Christmas trees made especially for the occasion.

The trees, made of wood, displayed LED lights shining through wine bottles to stunning effect – especially in the evening.

Jonathan Duckworth of the Chamber of Trade, and SNJ reporter Megan Titley took a walk around Nailsworth’s shops on Tuesday, December 8, to judge the windows.

Commenting on this year’s competition Jonathan said: “It’s the third time the town has run the competition and this year has seen a really close competition, with some excellent window displays.

“The winner stood out, but choosing a second place was very difficult.

"It is a really important time of year for the town and it is so good to see traders making an effort to delight their customers.”