Farmers Market for Bexhill

The venture is the idea of Town Forum chairman Stuart Wood, who has been working on the project for some months.

The first of what he hopes will be a regular series will be held in Parkhurst Hall on Thursday, September 26, from 9am until noon.

Mr Wood says that to be successful and to retain the interest of stallholders, the venture needs the support of the public.

"By having a market, we should bring people into the centre and so the town, so I hope the market traders will get a great deal of support and that everyone will look positively on this venture.

"Other markets operate in Battle and Rye. Many villages now have farmers' markets, some once a month some up to once a week. I see no reason why we in Bexhill should not have a market at least once a month if not more often, but all this hangs on the public and the stallholders getting plenty of support to make it worth their while to come to Bexhill.

"The stall holders have to belong to the Farmers' Federation and live within a 30 mile radius of where the market is for it to be called a farmers' market.

"To start with stalls will be of the type that one associates with farmers - honey, cheese, yogurts, fruit, vegetables, cakes, jams and preserves, meats, eggs, plants and the like.

"While many markets are held outside, Bexhill does not lend itself to this type of market as we do not have a suitable site central to the town and to have roads closed each month costs not only money but causes a great deal of problems to both residents and traffic.

Mr Wood believes that being centrally placed and having an adjoining garden room and garden, Parkhurst Hall will prove suitable.

The Chamber of Commerce's stance is that it would love to see a successful farmers' market, says chamber information officer Sue Spice.

In her capacity as a partner in Bexhill Promotions Group she co-organises the twice yearly Anglo-Continental Market on behalf of the chamber, the second of which will be over the weekend of September 21-22.

She said this week: "The chamber welcomes a farmers' market because we would love to see it happen.

"I have tried for years to get a farmers' market here. But when you talk to them they are committed to something elsewhere and they will only come to a regular event, monthly or even weekly.

"I would love to see it. I have tried so hard on it."