Honeypot village hosts first farmers' market in the North York Moors

Set up with the help of funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, run by North Yorkshire Council in the county, the market has attracted about 1,000 people to the two dozen stalls a month since June.

Stalls at the November event includes The Clucking Pig Company, Collinsons Pork On Your Fork, The Supper Club Egton, Calder's Kitchen, Woofy Munchies, Mallyan Spout Hotel, Hummersea bakehouse, Abbey Farm Cottage Goats Cheese, Rosalind's Larder, Scarborough Creperie, Rawfords Country Catering, plus lovely coffee from The Baytown Coffee.

Organisers of the market say they are hoping to build on the initial success.

Goathland Community Hub and Sports Pavilion trustee, Keith Thompson, said: “We started in June and thought we would have a few stalls and attract a few hundred people to visit. But we had 24 stalls and more than 1,000 visitors and traders were sold out within a matter of hours.

“We quickly decided to make this a monthly event and encourage local entrepreneurs and small local businesses to come along. We are very quickly building up a reputation as a market to visit.”

One of the features of the market is providing the capacity for local people to sell their own wares and for a local charity to raise funds. The gate for each market is manned by a different charity or community group – markets have raised hundreds of pounds for groups such as the village cricket club and Whitby Young Farmers. There are two village stalls, with one for local people selling their own produce such as vegetables from an allotment, Christmas decorations or cakes, while the other is manned by Cath Jenkinson, who sells second hand books and jigsaws for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Mr Thompson added: “The farmers market was the next step in providing more for the community and our visitors. It is the only one in the national park – there are plenty in towns on the edge but nothing in the park. When we decide to do something in Goathland we make it happen, but we have been blown away by this success.”

North Yorkshire Council leader, Councillor Carl Les, said: “This market is already proving very popular in Goathland and doing exactly what this funding sets out to do – boost the local economy and add community value for local people.”

Esk Valley councillor Clive Pearson added: “Goathland is already a honey pot for visitors and this new market is bringing even more people into the village which is benefitting our local businesses.”

The next market is on December 21 from 10am to 2pm. There will be no market in January and February, but it will be held on the third Saturday of every month from March.