Market traders 'need footfall after storm closure'

Traders and stall holders in Devon and Cornwall have said business is down after many were forced to close over the weekend because of Storm Darragh.

The Festive Weekend in Falmouth was cancelled and Exeter Cathedral's Christmas Market was closed on Saturday because of the high winds and rain.

Christmas is a key time for businesses, with many hoping to make up for lost turnover in the next few weeks.

Tracy Woodcock, an independent business owner in Falmouth, reminded the public local shops were "still here and we still want to see people".

Falmouth town manager Richard Gates said the decision to cancel the Festive Weekend was "not easy, but it was the right one".

He said: "It takes about 10 months to plan it; there would have been loads of activities through the town.

"We wanted it to go ahead but we had to take a sensible safety approach and we ultimately had to cancel it."

Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market was able to reopen on Sunday.

A spokesperson said: "We are enormously grateful to our wonderful traders for their co-operation and understanding on Saturday, and to our amazing staff and security team for getting the market back up and running again so quickly on Sunday."

Joseph Malin, a stall holder at the market, estimated his turnover was down 10% to 15% with the day's closure.

He said: "We only have five big Saturdays for the duration of the market whilst we're here and one of them was lost, unfortunately. But, hopefully, between now and next week, we can recoup some of those losses."

Trader Nicholas Hocking said: "Saturday is like the biggest day of the week - it's usually full of people, it's where you get the most trade.

"You kind of live for the weekend at these markets, so not ideal. But, at the end of the day, it was a big storm and they did the right thing by closing it down."

In Falmouth, Tracy Woodcock, who owns Bow Fashion, emphasised the importance of shopping locally in the run-up to Christmas.

She said: "We need to see more footfall; it's gone a lot quieter.

"In tourist towns, seaside towns, in January and February, we know it's going to be really quiet, so we were relying on that weekend.

"We're still going to make it count, we've got plenty of time to.

"We're here and we still want to see people."

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