The charm of a market is something which often gets overlooked, the sounds, the smells, the strength and appeal of the market is something to be admired, come rain or shine the market lives on and so too does the spirit of shopping local! Whitfield is blessed to still have an active market which is a Thursday Market held every Thursday morning in the wonderful community-asset that is the Whitfield Village Hall*.
There are many benefits to shopping local, when you purchase at locally owned businesses rather than nationally owned, more money is kept in the community. The unique character of our local community is defined in large part by the business that reside here, which has a massive knock-on effect in other aspects such as the value of property, touristic appeal. As well as this there is an Environmental implication when shopping locally as the goods, products haven’t been subject to gross amounts of travel and packaging.
One thing is undoubted when arguing the pros of shopping local and that is that you the customer matter more! So, with that be sure to head down to the village hall and learn to love your local market, Luke certainly has done the young manager took the time out of his day to talk with CommunityAd about the joys of shopping local.
So, Luke how did you come to be the manager of the farmers market at such a young age?
I’ve been part of farmers markets now for the best part of ten years, so it’s always been a part of my life from an early age.
What do you enjoy most about the role?
I enjoy the community side of the local markets and hope that we can run them to the best we can in terms of giving people the best service in local produce and handmade goods.
What should readers expect if they were pop in one Thursday?
They should expect excellent local produce and handmade crafts, along with a nice cup of tea and cake or bacon roll.
Why is it so important to shop locally especially within a community like Whitfield?
I believe it is important to shop local to help traders and local businesses stay as that, the more help we get from the community, the better. The hall is great for the locals, not just in terms for the market but the hall accepts parties. I couldn’t do it without all the locals helping out I am extremely grateful for any help in running the market.
*Whitfield Farmers Market every Thursday from 10AM. Currently closed due to Coronavirus precautions; check the website for reopening.