Market manager Kardien Gerbrands talks about Swindon farmers' markets

TO prepare for farmers’ markets most stallholders, the growers, meat farmers and food producers, spend long hours the day before harvesting, butchering and preparing products.

After this long hard day of toil they have to get up very early and drive to market, set up their stall and spend long hours selling. It involves hours of standing behind the stall, often in poor weather conditions — cold throughout the winter, rainy, windy etc — ready for any customers that come along.

The most successful stallholders know that to be successful they must be there every week so they can get to know their customers and build up trust in the quality of their product.

Most stallholders will be selling at markets every Friday and Saturday as well as the Sunday market. That means most of them will have to give up every single weekend of the year to work!

Actually, that is the reason we don’t run markets between Christmas and New Year and why the stallholders at the Swindon Designer Outlet don’t operate on Easter Sunday — so we can all have a weekend off.

Despite the hard work and commitment required, if you asked them if they wanted to give it up most would say, “no, I love it”. They love being part of the market, with the atmosphere and meeting all their customers, chatting all day and serving their public. Hats off to them!

We hope you all enjoy your Easter Sunday and the market will return on Sunday, April 23, from 10am to 4pm.

Markets

  • Bradford on Avon, third Thursday, 9am to 1pm at Westbury Gardens, BA15 1DE.
  •  Bradford on Avon, last Sunday, 10.30am to 2.30pm at Lamb Yard, BA15 1FG.
  •  Calne, second Saturday, 9am to 1pm, near the library, SN11 0JU.
  •  Corsham, third Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street SN13 0HB.
  •  Devizes, first Saturday, 9am to 1pm, Market Place l Malmesbury, second and fourth Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, Market Cross 
  •  Royal Wootton Bassett, fourth Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street.
  •  Salisbury, weekly on Wednesdays, 9am to 2pm, Poultry Cross.
  •  Swindon Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10am to 4pm, Swindon Designer Outlet, Kemble Drive, SN2 2DY.
  •   Trowbridge, second and fourth Friday, 9am to 1pm, Fore Street, BA14 8HX.
  •  Wanborough, third Saturday, 9am to midday, Wanborough Village Hall.
  •  Warminster, first and third Fridays, 9am to 1pm, central car park, BA 12 9BT