Bury St Edmunds town centre to be visited by Abraham Lincoln lookalike in Independents' Week

Shoppers in Bury St Edmunds might be surprised to see a historical face in the town centre next month.

That's because a special lookalike of Abraham Lincoln will be visiting on July 4 to celebrate American Independence Day, whilst at the same time championing small businesses for Our Bury St Edmunds annual Independents' Day.

July 4 will see this year's launch of what will be the 12th year of the town centre's Independents' Week which will run from the Monday until Sunday, July 10.

The Abraham Lincoln lookalike, the town mayor and a town crier will let shoppers know why supporting small and independent businesses is vital to the local economy.

There will also be a social media competition for people to nominate their favourite indie shop for a chance to win an Our Bury St Edmunds gift card - with the winning businesses awarded an advertising prize.

Mike Kirkham, marketing and business support officer Business Improvement District (BID) Our Bury St Edmunds, said: "It’s been a challenging time for independent businesses and the current cost of living increases haven’t made it any easier for them, but I am heartened by a study from Visa that found more than 80% of consumers were supporting their local businesses as much as or even more than they did before the pandemic.

"In the same survey more than half of shopkeepers said it’s the support of their local community that has kept them going and I am sure that is true for many Bury St Edmunds businesses too."

There are nearly 300 independent businesses in the town centre which makes up almost 60% of all businesses in the town.

To find out more about Independents' Week visit the Our Bury St Edmunds website.