Ginger & Spice Festival – Original Biscuit Bakers

Winners announced for the Original Biscuit Bakers Heritage Gingerbread Trail 2026

Charlotte Smith — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:15:16 +0000

We were delighted to once again be the headline sponsor of the Original Biscuit Bakers Heritage Gingerbread Trail & Contest, which returned as part of the 10th Ginger & Spice Festival in Market Drayton on Saturday 26th September 2026.

The free family-friendly trail brought plenty of fun to the town throughout the day, encouraging festival-goers to explore Market Drayton’s shops, attractions and heritage sites while hunting for an array of brilliantly dressed gingerbread characters.

This year’s theme, ‘No.1 Hit from a Chart-Topping Solo Artist’, certainly inspired plenty of creativity! More than 49 local businesses and organisations got involved, transforming their gingerbread characters and displaying them in windows and premises across the town.

As a Market Drayton biscuit manufacturer with our own strong connection to the town’s gingerbread heritage, we’re incredibly proud to support an event that celebrates both the history of gingerbread and the fantastic local businesses, organisations and community that make the trail possible.

Festival-goers were invited to follow the trail map, discover the characters and cast their votes for their favourites. Alongside the public vote, a judging panel including the Mayor of Market Drayton, Councillor Tim Manton, and special guest judge, local musician Alisdair Grant Mckenzie, had the difficult task of choosing their winners. For the third year running, a prize was also awarded for the best-dressed gingerbread character in a charity premises.

And our involvement didn’t stop with the trail! Over at the Spicy Market, our Original Biscuit Bakers stand proved popular with visitors, with plenty of hand-iced gingerbread biscuits and sugar cookie creations on offer alongside Market Drayton’s very own award-winning heritage biscuit, Billington’s Gingerbread.

There was lots for our younger festival-goers to enjoy too. Our free children’s activities on Queen Street proved a real hit throughout the day, with families stopping by to get creative having a go at icing adding to the gingerbread-themed fun.

It was wonderful to see so many families exploring the town, spotting the gingerbread characters and getting involved in everything the festival had to offer. A huge thank you goes to all the businesses and organisations that took part in this year’s trail, everyone who visited us on the day and, of course, all those who voted.

And the winners are…

Mayor’s Prize Winner

Congratulations to Vivid Promotion on Shropshire Street, winner of Best Gingerbread Character in the Mayor’s Category! Their Stevie Wonder character, inspired by ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’, made an impression on the judges and playing the song alongside the display certainly gave their entry that extra winning touch!

Halina Eve, of Vivid Promotion, said: “We absolutely loved decorating our gingerbread man. It’s been such a fun project and we are so proud to be part of this wonderful event. A huge thank you to the amazing community of Market Drayton for making us feel so welcome since we opened our doors. We really feel like we have become part of the community and we couldn’t be more grateful for all of the support, kindness and encouragement we have received. . …here’s to many more community events, celebrations and memories.”

Mayor’s Prize Runner-Up

A big well done to Equity Will Writers on Cheshire Street, runner-up in the Mayor’s Category! Their gingerbread Geri Halliwell, inspired by ‘It’s Raining Men’, caught the attention of judges Councillor Tim Manton and local musician Alisdair Grant McKenzie.

Clare Jones said: “It is nice to be involved in the community and lovely to see the kids enjoying themselves. We chose Geri to go along with the Ginger & Spice theme.”

Mayor’s Prize Best Charity

Congratulations to Oxfam on Cheshire Street, winner of Best Dressed Gingerbread Character in the Charity Category! Their Kylie Minogue character, inspired by ‘Spinning Around’, brought pop star sparkle to this year’s trail.

Manager Hayley Lockley explained that the team’s choice had an Oxfam connection: Kylie’s famous gold hot pants from the music video were bought in an Oxfam shop in London!

People’s Choice Winner

Congratulations to Healing Arts at No 5 on Cheshire Street, winner of the (Children’s) People’s Choice Award. Their gingerbread Will Smith, inspired by ‘Men in Black’, was voted the favourite by children and participants taking part in the trail.

Commenting on winning the People’s Choice Award, Mark Gurney-Berett of Healing Arts No 5 said: “We’re sci-fi fanatics, and Men in Black is one of our favourite films. We also loved the story behind the song, which Will Smith created in just four hours! We had great fun making the tentacles for our window display and really enjoyed exploring the food stalls on festival day. The trail brought more visitors through our doors, which was wonderful to see.”

People’s Choice Runner-Up

A big well done to Festival Drayton Centre on Frogmore Road, runner-up in the Children’s People’s Choice Award. Their Bob the Builder character proved a popular choice with the children who explored the trail and voted for their favourites.

Robyn Edwards, Volunteer Co-ordinator at Festival Drayton said: “We really wanted to pick a gingerbread that the children would recognise as we know how important the children’s activities are at the festival and we wanted to make our entry as family orientated as we could. We chose Bob the Builder and erected him on the railings outside so everyone could see from the road,”

Another fantastic year for the Heritage Gingerbread Trail, and one we were incredibly proud to be part of. Thank you to everyone who helped bring the town’s gingerbread heritage to life once again. We’re already looking forward to seeing what next year brings!

Learn more about Ginger & Spice Festival

The Original Biscuit Bakers headline Heritage Gingerbread Trail Contest at Ginger & Spice Festival 2026

Charlotte Smith — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We are delighted to be returning as a headline sponsor of this year’s Heritage Gingerbread Trail & Contest, taking place on Saturday 26th September 2026 as part of the Ginger & Spice Festival in Market Drayton.

Running from 9.30am to 4.30pm, the family-friendly trail and competition will wind through the town centre, celebrating Market Drayton’s gingerbread-making heritage. A much-loved highlight of the festival, the trail will feature imaginative gingerbread creations displayed in over 40 local businesses, many of whom are also proud sponsors of the event.

The Original Biscuit Bakers Heritage Gingerbread Trail & Contest is a free, family-friendly event forming part of the Ginger & Spice Festival 2026. Designed to celebrate Market Drayton’s rich culinary heritage, the trail invites festival-goers to explore local shops, attractions and historic sites throughout the town and judge their favourite character.

Each participating business or organisation will showcase a specially dressed gingerbread character in their window or premises, themed around “No.1 Hit from a Chart-Topping Solo Artist”, with displays appearing ahead of the festival date. Families are encouraged to follow the trail, discover all the gingerbread characters and vote for their favourite display.

The character with the most public votes will win the People’s Choice Award, with a runner-up also recognised. An additional winner and runner-up will be chosen by the Mayor of Market Drayton, Councillor Tim Manton, ensuring a fun and fair celebration for all businesses and organisations taking part.

To incentivise voting participation from the general public, a FREE prize draw will take place at the festival for all those who complete the trail form in full and correctly. There will be one winner and one runner up picked. The Winners will be announced after the festival, week commencing 28^th September 2026. If chosen, the voting participants could win the following: A children’s gingerbread hamper.

Alongside sponsoring the trail, Original Biscuit Bakers we will be bringing a stall to the Spicy Market featuring our delicious hand-iced gingerbread biscuits, sugar cookie creations and award-winning heritage biscuit, Billington’s Gingerbread. We will also be hosting free gingerbread decorating in the Original Biscuit Bakers children’s crafting area on Queen Street throughout the day.

Gemma Williams, Managing Director of Original Biscuit Bakers, said:

“We’re delighted to support the Ginger & Spice Festival once again and to play a part in celebrating everything that makes Market Drayton so special. Sponsoring the Heritage Gingerbread Trail is a wonderful opportunity to help bring the town’s rich heritage to life and create a memorable experience for visitors of all ages.

As a local manufacturer, we’re especially proud to support an event that celebrates the food heritage, craftsmanship and community spirit at the heart of Market Drayton. The Heritage Trail continues to be one of the highlights of the festival, combining fascinating local stories, great food and interactive experiences that showcase the town’s unique character. As the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, it’s fantastic to see it continue to grow, attracting visitors from across the region while celebrating the town’s proud culinary heritage.”

Julia Roberts, Festival Director of the Ginger & Spice Festival, said:

“We’re thrilled to welcome back the Original Biscuit Bakers as the headline sponsor of our much-loved Heritage Gingerbread Trail. Their continued support helps us celebrate Market Drayton’s unique gingerbread while creating a much-loved attraction for families and visitors. As we celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary, we’re also incredibly grateful for their support of the children’s crafting area – this year taking place on Queen Street – enabling us to offer free creative activities for the community to enjoy.”

Gingerbread Heritage Trail Maps can be picked up from the trail station on the high street being run by volunteers Jane Moore and Julie Pryce from 9.30am on Saturday 26^th September. They will also be displaying their collection of Gingerbread memorabilia that they have collected over the years.

Jane Moore and Julie Pryce said:

“We’re delighted to once again be running the Gingerbread Heritage Trail at this year’s Ginger & Spice Festival. It’s always such a joy to see so many families taking part, with children spotting the wonderful gingerbread characters in shop and business windows right across our lovely town. The whole community gets involved, which makes the trail really special. We also look forward to sharing our growing collection of Market Drayton gingerbread memorabilia on our stall – it’s a tradition we’re proud to celebrate as an important part of our town’s heritage.”

View trail sponsors

The Original Biscuit Bakers headline Heritage Gingerbread Trail Contest at Ginger & Spice Festival 2025

Charlotte Smith — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:09:43 +0000

Original Biscuit Bakers, are returning as headline sponsors of this year’s Heritage Gingerbread Trail & Contest, taking place on Saturday 27th September 2025 as part of the Ginger & Spice Festival in Market Drayton.

Running from 9.30am to 4.30pm, the family-friendly trail and competition will wind through the town centre, celebrating Market Drayton’s rich gingerbread-making heritage. A much-loved highlight of the festival, the trail will feature imaginative gingerbread creations displayed in 47 local businesses – many of whom are also proud sponsors of the event.

The Original Biscuit Bakers Heritage Gingerbread Trail & Contest is a free and family-friendly event, forming part of the Ginger & Spice Festival 2025. Designed to celebrate Market Drayton’s rich culinary heritage, the trail invites festival-goers to explore local shops, attractions and historic sites throughout the town.

Each participating business or organisation will showcase a specially dressed gingerbread character in their window or premises, themed around “Characters from History.” Families are encouraged to follow the trail, discover all the gingerbread characters and vote for their favourite display.

The character with the most public votes will win the People’s Choice Award with also a runner up, while an additional winner and runner up will be chosen by the Mayor of Market Drayton, Councillor Tim Manton, and a special guest judges Nick and Carol Ford from Acton Scott Heritage Farm in Shropshire on Tuesday 23rd September 2025, ensuring a fun and fair celebration of creativity and community spirit.

To incentivise voting participation, a FREE prize draw will take place at the festival. All those who complete the trail form in full and correctly will be entered into the free prize draw. There will be one winner and one runner up in the children’s category and one winner in the adults’ category. The winners will be announced after the festival, week commencing 29th September 2025. If chosen, they could win the following:

Adult: An artisan food and drink hamper

Child: A children’s gingerbread hamper

Original Biscuit Bakers are also bringing a stall to the spicy artisan market with our delicious hand decorated and iced gingerbread biscuit creations plus heritage biscuit Billington’s Gingerbread. We will also be hosting free of charge gingerbread decorating in the Original Biscuit Bakers children’s crafting area throughout the day.

Gemma Williams, Managing Director of Image On Food, the home of Original Biscuit Bakers and Billington’s Gingerbread, said:

“We’re proud to support the Ginger & Spice Festival once again, especially the much-loved heritage trail. It’s a brilliant family event that brings Market Drayton’s history to life through food, storytelling, and hands-on experiences. The festival continues to grow in popularity, and we’re delighted to be part of something that celebrates the town’s unique culinary roots.”

Julia Roberts, Festival Director of the Ginger & Spice Festival, said:

“We’re thrilled to once again have Original Biscuit Bakers as the headline sponsor of our much-loved Heritage Gingerbread Trail. Their support is invaluable in helping us celebrate Market Drayton’s unique heritage and bring our creative vision to life. The trail has become a firm family favourite, and this year we’re excited to see the imaginative gingerbread window displays dressed to the brilliant theme ‘Characters from history’. We are also grateful for their support of the children’s crafting area which enables us to offer free of charge activities for the community to enjoy.”

To view the list of trail sponsors please visit the website and see the heritage trail page here:

Click me!

Images of the sponsors and organisations with their gingerbread character pre-decorations are here to view:

Click me!

Gingerbread Heritage Trail Maps can be picked up from the trail station on the high street being run by volunteers Jane Moore and Julie Pryce from 9.30am on Saturday 27^th September. They will also be displaying their collection of Gingerbread memorabilia that they have collected over the years.

Jane Moore and Julie Pryce said:

“We’re delighted to once again be running the Gingerbread Heritage Trail at this year’s Ginger & Spice Festival. It’s always such a joy to see so many families taking part, with children spotting the wonderful gingerbread characters in shop and business windows right across our lovely town. The whole community gets involved, which makes the trail really special. We also look forward to sharing our growing collection of Market Drayton gingerbread memorabilia on our stall – it’s a tradition we’re proud to celebrate as an important part of our town’s heritage.”

We look forward to a successful community event that brings together creativity, heritage, and local pride—celebrating Market Drayton’s rich gingerbread-making tradition in a fun and meaningful way for families, businesses and visitors alike.

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