Next Month's Chiswick Flower Market Cancelled
Organisers say decision taken due to worsening national Covid-19 situation
Trade brisk at the first Chiswick Flower Market. Picture: Frank Noon
The organisers of the Chiswick Flower Market have announced that next month’s event due to be held on Sunday 4 October, will not be taking place.
In a statement they say, “The decision was taken in the light of the worsening national Covid-19 situation and in consultation with London Borough of Hounslow’s Director of Public Health, local businesses, our traders, local residents and our marshals. Whilst open-air markets can be held legally, we felt that it would not be appropriate to go ahead at this time.
“We have been carefully weighing the pros and cons of following up the hugely successful inaugural market and sadly came to this decision today (25 September).
“We would like to thank all our traders and marshals who have patiently supported us in the ongoing discussions and who will be as disappointed as we are by this decision. The September market brought great benefit, both economically and socially to the area.”
The first market was hailed as a ‘huge success’ by the team behind it with over 7,000 people estimated to have attended and many of the stall holders selling out.
However, there was some criticism of a lack of social distancing at the event and issues arose with marshalling the crowds.
Despite the large number of people attending earlier this month, the latest number for coronavirus infections in the Chiswick area is lower now even though the figures are likely to include anyone who might have been infected at the event.
The organisers say, “We are determined that despite this set-back, our work will continue to bring the community together, to revitalise our High Road and to help new and established independent businesses”.
They say they are determined to return in November with a bigger and better market and a well-regulated queuing system, as well as a dedicated early morning shopping session for more vulnerable flower lovers.
They are exploring methods by which the traders could still sell their plants, bulbs and flowers and are directing people to their website www.chiswickflowermarket.com where most of the traders have online shops and you can support them by purchasing your flowers and other horticultural products direct from them.
Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said: “Chiswick Flower Market is a fantastic addition to the borough, and the first one last month was a great success.
“It’s a real shame the October one has had to be cancelled. I and hundreds of other people were looking forward to its return.
“However, given the new national guidelines which came into force this week, cancelling it was the right decision. People’s safety must come first.
“I’d like to thank the market organisers for being so responsible and the Council looks forward to supporting them to hopefully make the November market go ahead in a Covid secure way.”
Ron Mushiso, Chiswick Councillor, and deputy leader of the conservative group said, "Chiswick Flower Market resounding success when it launched in early September. I was delighted to have played a small role as one of the Marshalls on the day and was looking forward to continuing my role on Sunday 4th October. But the decision by the organisers is the right one given the current circumstances. I know a lot of people will be disappointed but public safety has to take priority."Find Articles Like This Useful? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
September 26, 2020