Market on the move (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Market on the move

7:14am Wednesday 14th February 2007 in News By Peggy Clatworthy

The Farmers market is on the move.

The next, on Saturday March 10 will be the last on its present site in the Abbey Lawn's car park in Gander Lane.

From then on the market will move to Spring Gardens, the site of the regular Tewkesbury market, and be held on a Thursday.

The first market on the new site will take place on April 5th.

Operator Doug Cotton said that the move has been brought about because the Abbey Lawns Trust, who own the car park want to increase the rent to a level that he could not pass on to the traders.

He says that most of the traders will be at the new market, but Friends of the Earth will not be there with their tea and coffee stall, and the County Market, formerly the WI will not have a stall.

Both groups cannot find volunteers to man the stalls on a Thursday, because of other commitments.

He says that he has been very disappointed by the re-action of groups including the Town Council and Tewkesbury Forward, who have criticised the move.

"They don't seem to mind the change of venue, it is the day they don't like, but people come into Tewkesbury to work and shop every day of the week.

"We will be advertising the changes widely, and it may be that people who cannot get to the Saturday market will come on a Thursday," he said.