St Ives Farmers’ Market has re-opened its doors at the usual venue in the Guildhall, with social distancing measures in place and shorter opening hours. The market is also continuing its home delivery service.
Inside the hall, market stalls have been spaced out further apart than usual, and the overall layout has been changed, creating plenty of room for shoppers. Entry is through the main doors, but shoppers are requested to exit through fire doors at the side of the hall, to avoid people crossing each other in the front corridor. There is a limit on the total number of customers in the hall at any one time, to avoid overcrowding.
The weekly market, which resumed trading on Thursday, 18th June, started off with opening hours of 9.30am to noon. However, it is expected that opening hours will revert to the normal 9.30am-2pm in July.
The market’s home delivery service, which was set up to keep supplying customers during the closure, will continue to be offered. The service is open to anyone in St Ives, Carbis Bay, Halsetown, Nancledra, Lelant and Towednack. Delivery is free of charge on orders above £25. Full details can be found on www.stivesfarmersmarket.co.uk
Not all traders are ready to return to the market, but those currently trading include:
Chypraze Farm (pork and beef)
Cath’s Cornish Kitchen (bread and savouries)
Cornish Chillies (fresh and dried chillies, chilli sauces and chilli plants)
Kyfyth Kernow (jams and preserves)
Paul Connor (vegetables and herbs)
Roseveor Plants (perennial flowers, shrubs and succulents)
Ruby June’s Indian Kitchen (curries, samosas, bhajis and patoori breads)
Rosewarne Apiary (honey)
“Customers have been very pleased to see the market back in operation,” says Tim Andrewes, one of the organisers. “We have had to adapt the stall layout significantly, to keep customers and traders apart. But with such a large venue, that isn’t a real problem.
“As the town starts getting busier, it is going to be important to keep a limit on the number of customers coming into the venue. This means that there may be some queueing at busy times. We therefore recommend that you time your visit for the first or last hour of each market, or else use our home delivery service.”
The market has been in operation almost every Thursday of the year since it started by in April 2008. Thursday, 2nd April, would have marked its 12th anniversary.
For further details and up to date information on opening times, visit www.stivesfarmersmarket.co.uk
