South Molton market wins national community award

An indoor market in Devon has won a national award.

South Molton Pannier Market has been named Best Community Market in Britain by the The National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).

The Great British Market Awards are voted for by the public, with 35,000 people voting.

The chief executive of NABMA said the north Devon market was described as "the beating heart of the town".

The market trades on Thursdays and Sundays and has about 70 stalls.

Market supervisor William Tyacke said: "Our market would be nothing without our traders. We appreciate the amount of effort that they put in every market to make their stalls inviting to our visitors… some of whom spend several hours setting up their pitches. 

"Although we may not have the big budget, we have proved that our market has a very big heart and is loved by many."

Melanie Jones, promotions manager, said: "This award is such a fantastic accolade for our market.

"We were up against some very big markets, with multimillion-pound budgets and investments so we are hugely proud of this award.

"The feedback we received was extremely complimentary with one judge stating that he felt the welcoming atmosphere of the market from the moment he got out of his car in the car park."

The citation from David Preston, chief executive of NABMA, said: "The market is described as the beating heart of the town and the town council operator has made regular investments in the service.

"Tradition is important but change has been embraced in terms of changes in layout, branding and the use of social media. The market is regarded as a destination to visit from across Devon."

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