In pictures: New market opens in Hastings Old Town

Tides of Trade will be organising markets at the Stade Hall and Classroom on the Coast from this month onwards throughout the year.

The first one opened today (Saturday, February 8).

Organisers said the focus of the Stade Hall Market is small local businesses.

Visitors will find a wide variety of different things on sale including jewellery, wreaths, macramé - a form of textile produced using knotting techniques - candles, skin creams, teas and wellness products, as well as fabric furnishings, home and garden décor and food and drinks.

Callum Sulsh, who recently set up Tides of Trade, described the market as a ‘a big sense of community’.

He said: “I have a background in design, photography and marketing and my mum has a business, which is Inside and Garden, that sells home and garden décor products.

“I helped her build that business for the last two years. I never really actually thought I was going to get into markets but during that process I learned a lot more about markets.

“We've got them planned so that they're one Saturday per month basically all throughout the year and then try to tie them up with events that are already happening, like Pirate Day.

“The plans going forward is to meet more people who are doing interesting stuff like making things, all kinds of stuff, maybe people that make things out of copper or different kinds of metal, basically anybody that's doing anything interesting, but just small businesses.

Callum added he hopes to make the event a ‘vibrant marketplace’, which will grow over time and ‘pulls people into the town’.

The next two markets at the Stade Hall take place on Saturday, March 1 from 11am to 4pm and on Saturday, April 19, also from 11am to 4pm.