Sue Sanderson from Ilkley, is celebrating after winning a £1000 Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card in our national ‘Win Your Dream Christmas’ competition.
“I was on the Ilkley Chat Facebook page and saw a post they’d shared from Ilkley BID and a chance to ‘win your dream Christmas’ with a £1000 Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card, so I thought I’d give it a go,” said Sue. “I’m amazed that I won, it’s a huge surprise and will make a massive difference this Christmas.
“Winning the £1000 Ilkley Gift Card is an unexpected windfall and I’m looking forward to treating family and friends to some nice meals out at places like Broadley’s and The Ilkley Cow. When I told my daughter about winning, she said she’d like a Fat Rascal from Bettys when she’s home from university for Christmas! The best thing about it is that wherever I spend the gift card in Ilkley, it’s all supporting local businesses, and it’s great to be able to do that, spreading the benefit across Ilkley.
“I’m especially looking forward to trying out some new businesses in Ilkley with the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card. We definitely get stuck in our ways and tend to go to the same shops, but having the gift card will encourage me to be a bit more adventurous.
“I’ve lived in Ilkley for 27 years now and was a police officer until I retired in 2015. It’s a small town with a vibrant atmosphere, and lots of independent shops, restaurants and cafés as well as some high street places too. There’s the Riverside Gardens, Bettys Tea Room, and nearby we have the moors for walking. All of these places are lovely for locals and also draw in tourists, which is good for the town.
“It’s so easy to just go on Amazon nowadays and do your Christmas shopping, but buying the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card for others keeps our shops, restaurants and businesses open and encourages people into Ilkley too. When I meet up with friends from out of the area, we always go into Ilkley to shop because it’s so nice.
“Giving someone the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card not only keeps money here but brings in new money too. And it’s so much better than giving cash. I can’t wait to enjoy my gift card with others this Christmas.”
The Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card was launched in May 2022 by Ilkley Business Improvement District (BID) as part of a mission to encourage local shopping. The gift card is available to buy online as either a physical or digital card, and can be spent with over 80 businesses in the town, including shops, restaurants and services.
Cards can also be purchased in person at the Visitor Information Centre, next to the library. A ‘collect and click’ service is in place at Olicana, Nora’s Interiors and Gifts, Tennant and Daragh, Attic Womenswear, Richard Grafton Interiors, Alpkit, Ilkley Town Hall, The Art Shop and Grove Bookshop, giving the option for cards to be collected in person with value loaded online.
Ilkley’s Gift Card is part of the award winning Town & City Gift Card concept from Miconex with the ‘Win Your Dream Christmas’ competition backed by the fintech.
Helen Rhodes BID Manager at Ilkley BID said: “We’re thrilled that the winner of the Win Your Dream Christmas competition is from Ilkley, with a wonderful £1000 to spend locally. Sue has worked tirelessly in our community for 27 years and is a passionate supporter of not only our town but our local businesses too. I hope Sue enjoys spending the Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card and having a really special Christmas.”
Town & City Gift Card programmes are also active across Yorkshire in Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate, Brighouse, Barnsley, Scarborough, Sheffield and York. Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said:
“The Win Your Dream Christmas campaign is a celebration of local, choice, and the joy of Christmas. 53% of consumers in our 2022 research said they’d spend a gift card on a treat, and over 90% said they want to support local this Christmas. Giving someone an Ilkley Town Centre Gift Card gives them unbeatable local choice, a way to support local, and the chance to treat themselves too. Congratulations to Sue and her family this festive season.”
Miconex also launched its second national Christmas competition in December, encouraging people to vote for their favourite local business in the town.
Help Us Find The UK’s Favourite Local Business runs through to the 21st December. Any local business can be nominated, with the business receiving the most votes being crowned as the UK’s favourite.
The business crowned as the UK’s favourite business in December 2022, and the person who nominated them, will receive a £500 gift card. Vote for free at www.lovelocalwin.co.uk