Can Shrewsbury market bag the title?
A national hunt is on to find Britain’s ‘Favourite Market’ and traders at Shrewsbury Market Hall are urging members of the public to get behind their quest to take the crown this year.
Britain’s Favourite Market competition is organised every year by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) which invites members of the public to cast their vote online.
Previous winners have included big city and borough markets and this year Shrewsbury traders hope to get enough votes behind them to challenge for the title.
The competition is part of the Great British Market Awards which will be announced in January. Voting takes place on the NABMA website with November 30 the closing date.
Shrewsbury Market Hall is now the most popular it has been in recent years after it took the step to become a Saturday night venue once a month with eateries, bars and many other stalls open until 10pm.
“The late evenings have been hugely successful and introduced the Market Hall to a whole new audience,” said facilities manager Kate Gittins.
“With a raised profile and more people becoming fans of the market we’re hoping many more people will vote for us. We’re really going for the competition this year.”
Stallholder Alison Staples, of Romy Design, said: “I absolutely love having my workspace in this place. It's such a great market which is just getting better and better.
“The market is going in an exciting new direction. It’s a place where not only can you buy fresh produce but create an entire lifestyle with handmade products, a huge selection of quality goods to purchase and fantastic eateries.”
Leeds Kirkgate Market has been voted Britain’s Favourite Market for the last two consecutive years, attracting more than 100,000 votes.
Members of the public can vote online by going to www.nabma.com/vote/. There is no restriction on how many times someone can vote.
