Richmond hosts market day
Gazebos, colourful bunting and the smell of food brought Richmond’s town centre to life.
Queen St was yesterday closed to vehicles as more than 100 stalls filled the main street and Sundial Square for the 2017 Richmond Market Day.
Stalls included crafts, summer fruits and a variety of foods.
Richmond businesses including the Swiss Bakery, Wooden Spoon and Poppy Thai spilled out onto the footpath offering foot traffic easy access to tasty morsels.
Roving entertainers such as stilt-walkers, magicians, jugglers, fairies and face painters amused young and old.
Richmond Unlimited events and marketing co-ordinator Charlotte Bidlake said it was her first year being involved in the annual event and she was excited to see it come together.
The new street layout on Queen St worked well.
Bidlake said it was ‘‘a really great opportunity to see the street used for a market situation‘‘.
Some of the stall holders had been setting up shop in the market for years while others were new to the site.
Carole Rendle was enjoying a second year at the market selling her teacup bird feeders.
All profits were donated to Hope for the Children, a counselling service for youth and children in Canterbury.
It was the first year Funk Art artist Roger Griffiths had held a stall at the Richmond Market Day.
He said he did most markets in the region so he would be back to the Richmond Market Day next year.
Richmond local Rochelle Krammer hadn’t been to the event for a few years and was enjoying the vibe at this year’s new-look venue.
‘‘I know a couple of times we were going to come but it wasn’t a very nice day.’’
Cantabrian David McClure was up for a holiday. He said the market was ‘‘great’’ and was off to find the stall with ‘‘the best lollies’’ he had ever tasted – Rock Candy.