Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the Crystal Palace Food Market – and the locals had a party to mark the occasion.
Photos: JOHN BARRETT
Yum!: going shopping is never boring when there’s cake involved!
Founders: Karen Jones (left) and Laura Marchant-Short
The weekly Crystal Palace Food Market, held every Saturday on Haynes Lane, has been going from strength-to-strength since 2013.
An initiative of the Crystal Palace Transition Town, the market has won awards from the BBC and been a winner with locals and other shoppers from further afield from Day One.
Karen Jones and Laura Marchant-Short, two of the founders who have helped managed the market’s steady growth over the last 10 years, were at the centre of the celebrations.
Busy market: the crowd gathers for the speeches. And cake
“Being a New Zealander, I was brought up with a lot of ‘do it yourself’ determination, and I’m proud to say that in 10 years trading, we have never missed a week, and nor will we if I’ve got anything to do with it,” Marchant-Short said.
Carrot man: it’s a Crystal Palace thing, apparently…
“As well as the pure grit of keeping going, I am especially proud of all of our teenage volunteers. Watching them flourish over the years is wonderful. We’re the proud aunties.”
Last Saturday, as well as lots of birthday cake, there was live music, activities for children (being taken shopping doesn’t need to be soooo boring), and even an appearance from Joe Duggan in the guise of Crystal Palace superhero… Carrot Man!
Jones said: “The Transition Town principle of building local resilience means we support and mentor start-ups rather than bringing in stalls from other areas and many of these have now fully fledged into really successful businesses in their own right.”
- Check out the market’s website for what’s on offer every Saturday
- And click here to discover more about the Crystal Palace community fund-raiser for Christmas Lights
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