Shrewsbury market traders will find out whether they have scooped a major national accolade when the winners of The Great British Market Awards are announced later this week.
Shrewsbury Market Hall, which is jointly run by Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council, is one of six UK finalists short-listed for the coveted title of ‘Britain’s Favourite Market’.
All will be revealed at the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) One Day Conference, in Birmingham, on Thursday January 25, when the winners of the annual Great British Market Awards are named.
Shrewsbury is competing for the Britain’s Favourite Market title against five other finalists. These are markets in Barrow in Furness, Cambridge, Leeds Kirkgate, Norwich and Skipton. All were short-listed in a public vote.
Shrewsbury Market Hall may also have a chance of winning one of two other national awards for Best Large Indoor Market or Best Market Attraction.
“Excitement is building and all fingers are crossed! We’ve given it our best shot,” said market Facilities Manager Kate Gittins.
“Britain’s Favourite Market is the award we would most like to win because it’s the award voted for by members of the public. Win or lose it has been a fantastic year for Shrewsbury Market Hall and we’ve enjoyed the experience of taking part in these awards.”
The first stage of Britain’s Favourite Market competition involved a public vote that opened at the beginning of October and closed at midnight on November 30. The top six markets attracting the most votes were then short-listed for the second round of the competition which involved visits by both judges and a mystery shopper.
Town Clerk Helen Ball said: “We were delighted that Shrewsbury Market Hall made the top six in the Britain’s Favourite Market vote and it was a pleasure showing the judging panel around when they visited the Market before Christmas.
“The fact that so many people voted for Shrewsbury shows that, locally, people love what the Market Hall has to offer and we keep our fingers crossed for the announcement of the winner next Thursday”.
Shrewsbury Market Hall has nearly 70 pitches. Its popularity has boomed in recent years. This was given a further boost last year when it began opening for regular Saturday night events that attracted crowds of up to 1,700 people during the course of an evening.
Kate Gittins, Helen Ball and Seb Slater, Executive Director of Shrewsbury Business Improvement District, have been invited to deliver a talk to the NABMA conference about the Market Hall and partnership working.
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