On Saturday 28 September we formally celebrate our 25th anniversary! We got started in Autumn 1999 as one of the very early farmers’ markets in the UK and it’s pretty good to be still going all these years later.
We originally got going in the big hall at the mart but moved up the the Market Place a few years later and we’ve been there ever since. In the early years we got a lot of support from Tynedale District Council and until the merger of Districts and County to become a Unitary Authority in spring 2009 TDC was responsible for putting up the stalls, a role that was taken on by the new Northumberland County Council then. In 2011 we changed to providing our own stalls and during the Covid pandemic in 2020 we moved across the road to incorporate the Abbey Flags and the area by the side of the Abbey, with the support of Hexham Abbey.
Over the years we’ve had a number of people responsible for managing the market: Cllr Anne Dale, Julie Charlton, Tamsin Beevor, the late Jo Burrill and currently Peter Samsom, and all of them have been supported by a group of volunteer directors made up of producers and customers who are responsible for the running of the non-for-profit company that underpins it all.
However, all this is only possible thanks to a great crowd of really wonderful and committed local producers and the amazing support from the local community of Hexham and the area around it. So thank you all for your very loyal support and here’s to the next 25 years!
On the celebration day on the 28th of September itself, look out for the small display of articles about the early days, our fabulous hamper raffle and the cake!
Below a couple of images from earlier years.
