Small outdoor foodie market in Yorkshire village scoops national award

Cottingham Market traders with the national award. From left, Jack Kissenisky, John Dyson, Lisa Gray, Nicky Condette and Phil Green

A Yorkshire market has scooped an award for being Britain’s Best Small Outdoor Market.

Judges said Cottingham Market was a focal point and “renowned as a visitor attraction with many themed and special market events".

The market, held on Thursdays on Market Green, has 25 stalls and is known for selling a wide range of food, as well as clothing and other goods.

The Great British Market Awards are run each year by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

John Dyson, one of the longest-standing traders and a member of the co-op which runs the market, was presented the award at a ceremony in Birmingham. He said: “It’s an achievement to win this national award. We’re only a small market and all the traders are friends.

"You can buy traditional fruit and veg, and we have a lad from Grimsby who brings fish over. We have a cheese stall, speciality jams, it’s a good little market.

"The awards normally go to places like Doncaster. Borough in London got an award. Normally it’s the bigger ones, so it’s nice to get something.”

David Preston, chief executive of NABMA, said it was a “focal point” with a variety of traditional and modern stalls: “It has excellent social media platforms, a huge trader buy-in and has positive leadership and supportive management that is an example for others to follow.”