Woolton Hill market is back with a bang
Six-hundred-and-fifty turn up for the first stalls since lockdown
WOOLTON Hill returned to a semblance of normality as the village held its first market in several months.
Hundreds of residents from the village and surrounding areas turned out as the market moved outdoors in the grounds of Woolton Hill Junior School to keep customers safe and ensure social distancing.
There were stalls of tasty desserts, homemade cakes, freshly-cooked bacon rolls, seasonal produce and fresh fish, as well as flowers and artisanal crafts.
The market – which usually takes place on the last Saturday of every month, but had to be cancelled during the pandemic – was held on Saturday, July 25, from 11am to 2pm.
Organiser Sally Fenwick said the market had exceeded her wildest expectations.
She said: “It was everything we ever thought a village market should be.
“We have been running it as a group for five years and the market has been going for 10, and we normally get between 150 and 250 people at a push.
“We had an app to check capacity and we clicked over 650 people.
“It was incredible, we had people queuing not only along the perimeter of the fence, but actually around the corner on the pavement up the road to get in.
“It got quite emotional at one point because people were coming up to us to say thank you.
“I can’t be more enthusiastic about it, it made all our hard work worthwhile.”
After more than three months of being cooped up indoors due to the coronavirus lockdown, Mrs Fenwick believes residents were eager to get out and be part of a community again.
She said: “It was just what the village needed.
“There was like a pent-up urge for people to get out and see people.
“We’ve got a real community in Woolton Hill and it’s so important for the community to have a focal point, so it was really nice to see people sitting and chatting.
“You could see the general spirit – the local MP Kit Malthouse came, the vicar came, it felt like a proper community event which is how it’s supposed to be.”
Mrs Fenwick said that plans were already under way for the next village market in September.
She added: “We’ve pretty much secured the school again for the one at the end of September and I think we’ll be able to have the hall and the playground.
“So we’ll do it all over again.”