Oswestry21

Poor old supermarkets - they try and tell us that they can supply us with everything. But if you like your produce local, if you like your food fresh, if you like to make things yourself, if you shop for surprise and not out of habit, if you like old things, if you read books, if life is a sense of discovery, if you have imagination, if you like people and talking and if you just enjoy what life brings every different day, then supermarkets come nowhere.

As Leonard Cohen wrote, and sang “There’s a crack in everything - that’s how the light gets in”. If you like it hermetically sealed, stick to the supermarket. If you like the cracks and the light - use your market. They are and will be important places - social spaces, food hubs, centres of local identity, small business start up opportunities, focus of market town regeneration etc. If we lose sight of that, and there is no investment & interest in town centre independents & markets, then we lose the small things that matter and hand the whole production, retail and consumption game to a monopoly of supermarket majors.

All these images where taken on one day in Powis Hall market, Oswestry. It was an exceptionally bright, light and sunny day.

 These remarkable images, taken 20 years apart, illustrate how getting on for a quarter of a century of sound investment and active promotion have transformed the Powis Hall from black and white to colour.

From www.communities.gov.uk 12/10/09

“For the first time the Government is taking on the role of protecting the traditional market in the face of increasing pressures threatening its long term survival”. announced Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton today. (12/10/09)

She said:

“Lots of us enjoy a trip to the local market - almost every community has one. They are part of our heritage and bring communities together. Some traditional markets even date back to medieval times and are the reason why many of our towns exist. For example my market in Doncaster is one of the biggest and finest markets in the North and has been around since the thirteenth century.

“Markets also play a vital economic role in the local community from providing jobs and business start-up opportunities, to often offering cheaper produce and attracting shoppers into the town centre.”

Graham Wilson, Chief Executive of The National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) (Which is hosted at the Guildhall, Oswestry) and spokesperson for The Retail Markets Alliance, added:

“The Retail Markets Alliance is delighted with the Government’s response to the CLG Select Committee’s recommendations and we look forward to working with Rosie Winterton, Jim Fitzpatrick and the inter-departmental working group to raise the profile and quality of markets. The Government’s support will enable us to enhance the contribution that markets already make to a number of important policy areas.”

Worth a read in the light of current events up the Bailey.

In todays Shropshire Star (sadly no link), it is reported that Newtown market hall is in the running for a re-vamp of £3.5 million with a view to it promoting local and regional food produce. The running costs of this market were in the hands of Powys County Council, and have recently been taken over by Mid Wales Food and Land Trust who are currently looking at funding from the Welsh Assembly Govt, Heritage Lottery and CADW to enhance the building and create a regional food centre.

Market Drayton are spending £500,000 on their market apparently, and the poor old Powis Hall is seemingly reliant on public effort to win a makeover competition, and find funding to resolve issues such as the ramp and a lift installation.

Towns all over the country are waking up to the economic and social importance of markets, and, as in the cases mentioned above, funding changes, improvements and promotion of these important public spaces. Markets are cheaper than supermarkets, offer fresher food, greater skill in preparation and more information as to its provenance and about how to cook it. They make shopping a social experience, a place to sop wander and talk. Who wants to hang out in a supermarket?

With Newtown and Market Drayton taking the lead and really looking to a 21st century role for their markets, Oswestry already has the impetus and momentum from the Mydeco win, and really, really needs to grasp the opportunity in both hands to create a focus for quality and economy and social space and contribute to a regional network of fully functioning markets. To do so would help bring visitors into the region, bring life to Oswestry town centre and be looking forward to a future when town centres, real food and social interaction are all going to be more important that they have been. Not to do so would be to allow neighbouring towns to take the initiative, and just let 800 years of market trading history slip through our hands.

It was very gratifying to see the Shropshire Star picking up on the recent Community and Government Committee MPs publication on markets and its recommendation on how to run, manage and promote them. And also to see the Star giving coverage to OS21s event at the Oswestry Food Festival running a price comparision competition between two baskets of staple items, one from a supermarket and one from Powis Hall market ……….. the market basket proved to be about one fifth cheaper, on a quality for quality basis.

The report itself is a long and detailed document  (< link here), commenting on the social, economic and cultural importance of markets, the success of those owned by councils who have placed initiative, investment and energy into them, and recommendations as to how to regenerate and integrate markets into town economies. A concise 10 point excerpt from the report is given below:

What qualities contribute to a successful market delivering social and economic benefits, and are there examples of best practice that have a wider application?

The qualities required are:

1. A clear focus by a local authority on the running and management of a successful market. You have to want to run a market.

2. The integration of the market into the surrounding area where it is located, whether the surrounding retail  or or the host community. You have to manage the place in which the market is located, and study and understand the links it has and needs to maintain. Permeability is a key feature.

3. An understanding within the authority of the potential of the market in helping to deliver cross cutting programmes within the council. You have to understand how a market works.

4. The development of links with organisations locally who might benefit from contact with the market ie schools and hospitals etc and also those outside the area linked to the market supply chain. You have to adopt an entrepreneurial outward looking approach to your market.

5. An ongoing programme of customer research, feedback and improvements to the market. You must always be seeking to find ways of improving your market, both for those who trade in it and those who visit it.

6. Strong trader organisation and proper liaison with the market authority. Markets work best when both are working together to a common set of objectives.

7. Transparency in the running and financing of the market is vital. This encourages ownership and involvement by stakeholders.

8. A clear understanding of where and how the market operates in the supply chain. It is essential to see the market in its wider economic context.

9. Participation in local regional and national networks: It is vital to stay abreast of developments in the markets world and also in the regeneration and education fields amongst others.

10. Celebrate your achievements. Let people know how you are making progress and share that with the local community.

All of which appear to make ex Oswestry Town Councillor, (now leader of Shropshire Council), Keith Barrows insistence, both in public meetings and in private conversation, that the Powis Hall market should be demolished and redeveloped as office accommodation run counter to government thinking, and, in the light of the recent Mydeco win for the Powis Hall, counter to public opinion.

This, coupled with verification from the Guildhall finance department that Oswestry Town Councils advertising budget for the market this year amounts to £20 a week, not enough to buy a miniscule box ad in the Tizer, does go a long way to explaining the sad decline of the Powis Hall market when Government thinking is pointing the way forward and other councils are picking up the initiatives and running with them - Bury and Leicester to name but two, and more locally, £500K investment in Market Drayton market.

It is to be hoped that the passion about the Powis Hall that spurred public opinion to vote sufficiently for it to win the Times/Mydeco competition, and the consequent interest in the Terence Conran/Tara Bernerd makeover will prompt both Keith Barrow and Oswestry Town Council to reconsider the role of the market in a “historic border market town”, and to take note of the increased government and public interest in markets, particularly in these economically difficult times.

The news that Oswestry Town Council have, apparently, agreed to match fund the Times/Mydeco budget is a promising sign.

See also: 

24dash.com/news/Local_Government/2009-07-24-Markets-in-decline-due-to-poor-planning-by-councils

Time out with flu has curtailed editorial activities somewhat, so belatedly getting this up from the Food Festival, which by all accounts was  deemed a success by all who attended, so thanks to all involved.

 OS21 attended to talk about issues that it is involved in and to hand out information, and to run a competition to guess the price differential between two equally comparative baskets of food, one sourced from the market, and the other from a town supermarket.  Quality was compared to quality, so supermarket basic versions were not used. The competition aimed to prove that market sourced food was cheaper, better in quality and was often more generous in terms of price per unit, e.g a punnet of nectarines in the supermarket contained 4, and a punnet from the market contained  8.

 The baskets contained a sample of staples - bread, fruit, veg, eggs, fish, a bunch of flowers, and apart from the price difference mentioned below, there were also considerable differences in quality of service and social interaction. Fish was cheaper, more choice, could be prepared and filleted and plenty of advice and suggestion, and orders taken.  Same with meat - sausages and pies locally made, bacon home cured, meat cut to request, cooking advice and orders taken. Eggs were cheaper and local free range, a bunch of flowers also cheaper. The only item that was slightly cheaper in the supermarket was bread - but then not locally baked and a lower quality product in taste and looks.

 The supermarket basket for 10 items: £25.72

 The market basket for equivalent items: £21.13 

Which makes the market basket almost one fifth cheaper than the equivalent supermarket basket. Quite a saving! And worth using the market for!

 The winner of the 1st prize - the market basket, was, I’m informed, Emma Jones.

The Times is running an open competition for nominated public spaces, the winner being a re-furb by Terence Conran.

The Powis Hall market has been nominated, and if we can get enough people to vote - well, we could get a much publicised, exciting, appropriate re-furb of Oswestry’s most neglected, yet most important public spaces. In order to vote, you have to register your e mail and a password with mydeco  which takes a minute or two of your time, but it would seem a way of getting Oswestry noticed, with the possibility of the Market Hall being up there with the front runners and being chosen.

This can only happen if people bother to register and vote. 2 minutes of your time? And a market that makes front page news and gives this “historic border market town” an identity to last it through the 21st Century? Wing the links round your friends and relations, take the time to vote and leave a comment, spread the word.

Oswestry is Shropshire’s second town outside the Telford and Wrekin region. Here’s an opportunity to give it the opportunity it deserves. Let’s do it!