Volunteers to launch new monthly village market at Sheriff Hutton

Inspired by the success of other such ventures in the county, the Ryedale village of Sheriff Hutton is gearing up for its first market day on Sunday, March 17.

Volunteer-run, the market will see traditional market stalls set up outside Sheriff Hutton Village Hall in York Road, with smaller stalls hosted inside. It will usually be held on the third Sunday of every month.

Sally Fairweather has lived in the village all her life and runs Willow Farm Produce, a farm diversification business. She is one of 11 local volunteers on a new committee that is setting out to promote the market.

“The idea of the Sheriff Hutton village market came from Louise Chandler who also lives in the village and runs Everything But the Pet, a local pet supplies business,” Mrs Fairweather said.

“After seeing an advert in the village news, I contacted Louise to become involved. Seeing the success of other markets and, with other local people sharing the same vision for Sheriff, it made sense to pull together a group of volunteers willing to give their time in order to establish our own market.”

Stalls run by independent local traders will open between 10.30am and 1.30pm offering a variety of goods, many being homemade, homegrown or locally produced such as fruit, vegetables, meat, bakery products, cheese, alcohol, plants, crafts and textiles. Mrs Fairweather said devising a way to inject funds into community causes was a key motivation behind the plans and in order to do so stallholder fees, after costs are covered, will be shared among local projects and organisations; this could include the Sheriff Hutton Playgroup or the History Group for example.

In addition, a cafe will open in the village hall on market days and local groups are being invited to take it in turns to provide the refreshments so that they can raise funds for their own organisations.

“We also hope the market will help to enhance community spirit,” Mrs Fairweather said.

“We’re keen for the whole village to embrace the market. We are also looking into options to involve the schoolchildren from the village, although these plans have not yet been finalised.

“Hopefully, the market will become a regular part of village life. It will also help to showcase our village to the wider world as a place to visit.”

For a list of stallholders and market dates, see www.shvm.co.uk. Anyone wishing to get to involved in volunteering on market days can email the organising committee at [email protected]

LOCAL FACTS

Sheriff Hutton lies about ten miles north by north-east of York and boasts historic features.

The village has two castles. The first, a 12th century Norman motte and bailey of which only its mounds remain.

In the 14th century, with the Neville family presiding over the village, a second castle was built on a new site. It was used by Richard III to house his nephew Edward, Earl of Warwick, and his niece, Elizabeth of York.