By Rachael Grealish

After 17 long weeks of being on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Egremont Farmers Market is ready to reopen its doors to the public.

Like markets all over the UK the monthly-fair trade event was cancelled, but will be welcoming back stall holders and customers on Friday July 17, from 9.30am until 12.30pm.

Chair of the event and owner of the business Helen’s Herbs, Helen Shipton-Smith, said: “It will be great to see our customers again on Friday, please be assured that we have thought carefully about all the measures in place to protect public safety at the market.”

There will be a limited number of stalls, in order to allow for social distancing and volunteers will be asking the public to sanitise their hands upon entry.

Stalls on the day will include: Shaw Meats, Kick Ass Cheese, Creative Seafoods, Helen’s Herbs, Felted and Fleece, Thompson’s Bakery, Pies and More, Nice Bites, Hill Green Design, Fishers Eggs, Pat Crichton’s New Potatoes and Lakes Leather Studio.

And, unfortunately for visitors, the regular tea and coffee stall won’t be available.

Customers must follow a one-way system to help with the safe movement through the hall.

Along with this everyone must enter through the main doors and leave through the fire doors and numbers will be limited inside the hall.

Egremont Farmers Market has been a monthly staple in the town for around 17 years, so has been missed by many in the community.