Dunster’s Christmas window competition winner has been revealed after four weeks of festive voting by visitors to the medieval village.

The Woolly and Wild gift shop won after receiving 53 per cent of the votes cast at the ballot box at The Yarn Market.

Second place went to last year’s winner, The 5 Quarters, with 17 per cent of the votes, and third to Parham House Brides with 7 per cent of the votes.

Woolly and Wild on the Dunster Steep is run by Linda Bindon. “This year I wanted to create something magical to cheer everyone up after such a difficult year,” she said. “The window is a Christmas card scene with pretty winter woodland animals, toadstools and glitter.

“Unfortunately not every visitor always finds his way to the Dunster Steep – especially if they have parked at the Dunster Castle car park. That’s why I feel it is important to have nice window decorations all year around.”

The Dunster Christmas Window competition was organised this year by photographer Nina Dodd, who owns the interior store Dunster Living, and Lucy Green, owner of the self-catered Oval Cottage.

The annual festive competition was arranged for the first time last year and this year the competition saw an impressive number of 24 traders take part.

“One of the great things about the contest is that it can be done easily at a social distance and so we were able to carry on the tradition as it started,” Nina and Lucy said.

“We are so grateful that so many traders took part and enabled us to arrange this festive, yet socially distanced, entertainment for the locals and visitors.

“If all goes well, we are hoping in 2021 to extend the event and invite all the residents of the village to take part in the competition. The village is full of lovely Christmas displays and this way more people will get to see them.”

The winners of the prize draw were Alice Kinrade, who won a one-night stay at the Yarn Market for two, and James White, who won a gift voucher to the Dunster Living interior shop.