Our Second Community Market

Nancy playing her harp under the trees

The second experimental community market held in the grounds of St Lukes Church was another success.  35 great stalls filled our space and there was something for everyone.  Stalls sold local produce, garden plants, cut flowers, pickles, bread and bakery goods, some food stalls and a range of crafts. A number of community groups ran fundraisers and we had some great live music from Rachel (singer songwriter guitarist) and Nancy, (a harpist).  There was also a bouncy castle and kids games going on throughout the market.  3-4 local businesses also ran stalls to highlight and sell their products and services

David, a fruit and vege grower from the Old TaitTapu Rd

The team from the Halswell Community Project and our sponsors at St Luke's Church were delighted when Sunday 24th November dawned sunny and warm (after a week of cloud and drizzle), although as people noted later, perhaps it got a little too hot during the afternoon!  Most of the people who came to the market were able to spend some time sitting in the shade and perusing the various stalls.  The sunshine was a little more challenging for stall holders who did not have umbrellas or tents to provide shade.

Craft, plant and clothing stalls

 Overall we'd have loved to have seen a few more local residents at the market.  We were pleased that most of the stall holders felt there were enough people attending the market to justify their running a stall and are keen to come back again in February.
We really appreciate the support of the locals - ongoing support is going to be really important to keep our stallholders coming back and to ensure the sustainability of the market.  We will need to see a few more supporters at our coming markets this summer in order to decide what we should do next year.  The long term viability of the market will depend on having plenty of people coming along. 

There is quite a bit of parking available across in the Library carpark and down at the Hall (both less than 5 mins walk away).  Many people from Halswell on the Park, Muir Park, and Oaklands chose to walk from home and a few also biked to get to the market.  cyclists could park onsite in the new bikestands or at the gate and most brought panier or packs to take away their purchases.

Put Feb 16th 2014 - 1-4 pm into your diary and come down and check out what is on offer at the next market!

Two local businesses soon after setup, before the rush