I’ve been looking forward to this market for a while; I think it's always a bit exciting to be involved in something from the very start. I hadn’t been to the Forest Centre for a while so went there the previous Monday to have a look round. Despite the market not being for a week, there were posters everywhere and in the cafeteria on every table was a display advertising the market and on a rolling event display screen they had pages for the event and a couple of the stalls. They had already sent something out to everyone on their email list, had a section on their website about it and put an entry in Oracle magazine.
I decided to arrive early and as I got to Marston I found Josna [Indian Orchard] driving around looking a bit lost. We joined up and headed off to the Centre to find Zena and a couple of other stallholders already setting up.
As a lot of us hadn’t met before we had a good chat and then I realised the market was opening soon and I hadn’t set up either stall.
Next I panicked when it dawned on me I had left the tasters, fudge and legendary Honeycomb MKII [@North Bedfordshire Honey [Global Holdings] Ltd] at home. I blackmailed persuaded my daughter Nikkie, who was looking after Sue Lang's Black Cat Farm Shop stall, to shoot home to get them.
I had bought a laptop with me to show bee related videos and although I had used it before, it wouldn’t work and yet again technology let me down. Technology is after all a word for something that doesn’t work yet.
Finally I sorted myself out and the day started. And a very good day it was too..
Despite the concerns of the Centre that it might be a bit quiet, it was anything but. Lots of people came through the market and the whole atmosphere was very positive.
After the market was over all the stall holders agreed the day had been a great success, two of the stall holders nearly sold out and Sue’s/Nikkie’s jams went well. Everybody has signed up for the next 3 events.
Despite being an eccentric millionaire who just uses markets as a means of meeting taxpayers, even I was pleased with how things went and also in the interest in bees and beekeeping generally.
The Forest Centre were also very happy with the day saying we’re really pleased with the feedback that we received both from stallholders and members of the public and We’re delighted that the relaunched Farmers’ market had such success on it’s opening weekend and we hope for even more visitors as the weather picks up, next month onwards
They also posted this on their web site
http://marstonvale.org/farmers-market-fun/
More stalls have signed up for future markets and it can only go from strength to strength.
At the risk of sounding like an Oscar winner, I would like to thank The Academy Zena for organising the market, Sam, and her staff at the Centre for all their support, and you The Great British Honey Loving Public for coming along [starts sobbing, floods of tears and collapses on floor]
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