Weekly Farmers' Market for Acton May 12th
Fresh produce to buy from farms and producers
Acton’s refurbished town square will be the location for a weekly Farmers’ Market starting from Saturday 12th May. The Farmers’ Market will take place every Saturday 9am – 2pm alongside Acton Market on The Mount/King Street. The Farmers’ Market will provide a fantastic choice of produce including delicious organic & outdoor reared meat, 20 different varieties of sausage, home cured bacon, game in season, dairy, juice, plants & flowers, hand made preserves, soft fruit, apples, herbs, wet fish and shellfish, free range eggs, the freshest vegetables and salads, locally made artisan and traditional breads and cakes and much more. Some of the produce on offer will be organic.
Alex Watson, Action Acton’s Market Manager says, “We are all very excited to have the opportunity to host a Farmers’ Market. Local residents will soon benefit from access to fresh, locally grown produce sold in a pleasant purpose built open market space.”
Mark Handley from London Farmers’ Markets says, "We're delighted to have had so much enthusiasm from local residents and hope to build on the successful trial in December. We expect the Farmers’ Market to attract more shoppers to the area on a Saturday and hope that it will increase sales for all local retailers giving the local economy a real boost which has been the case at other farmers markets in London. There should be over 20 stalls on opening day."
The Acton Farmers’ Market will be a Certified Farmers Market, which means all stalls have been checked to see that they comply with Farmers’ Market rules.
Action Acton, the Acton-based charity has been running a weekly handicraft market every Saturday from 10am until 4pm on The Mount/King Street, after a trial run of markets in late 2006. Action Acton intends to increase market days to four days a week to include regular themed markets. The Market Project, funded by the London Development Agency, encourages local people, schools, community groups and businesses to take part in the markets and events such as arts, music, dance, fashion & clothing and themed cultural food events.
Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, says the weekly market “is exactly the kind of regeneration project we envisaged supporting when the Opportunities Fund was set up. We wanted to empower local organisations to make a difference because they know their area best, how and what needs to be done. Not only will the weekly market become a sustainable centre piece for Acton attracting visitors from across London, but it will help bring people together improving the area's social fabric."
“We’re hoping to significantly improve the area, to make it a hub of vibrancy,” says John Blackmore, Chief Executive of Action Acton. “Not only will this benefit local retailers and residents, we’re hoping we can attract shoppers and visitors to Acton and to offer ongoing support to new businesses and social enterprise.”
The charity is also running a scheme to encourage local unemployed individuals to start up their own businesses at the Market. Action Acton is currently running a Traders’ Training Scheme, a free specialist course individually tailored to provide skills for anyone aged 16 and above to set up their own market trading stall. Alex Watson says, “We encourage anyone interested in setting up a market trading business to get in touch.”
May 1, 2007
