Sunshine and success for Anglo-French market

The Anglo-French market was in its tenth year and marked the anniversary in style '“ shoppers enjoyed warm mellow sunshine as they moved from stall to stall taking in the easy and relaxed atmosphere.

There were 50 stalls in all and this year 17 were French while the rest were homegrown, and varied from Bexhill traders to producers from around the Rother district.

Sue Spice of Bexhill Chamber of Commerce said: "It was a really good market. The town was busy and the sea front as well. The cafes and restaurants told us they did tremendous trade, and so did some of the shops in Devonshire Road as well - so people not only came to the market, they came to the town, and existing shops as well.

"It was really good to see the town heaving with people and of course the weather was on our side. What was interesting was several of the stalls were from existing town centre businesses which bought their shops from other roads into Devonshire Road for the market."

She said however the number of French traders was down because some regulars had retired or chosen not to take part because of expense - the cost of ferry travel, fuel and accommodation for the weekend all coming into play.

Denise Wood of Destination in Sackville Road was one of those who migrated to Devonshire Road for the weekend and had on display a wide selection of cards, gifts and homeware.

Denise said: "I think it was a brilliant event for the town. The combination of the Hastings food and drink festival and the Anglo-French market here was a really great draw for people to come to the area, I felt. The market was fantastic for me in terms of PR for the shop, and it is wonderful that we had such a great weekend and there was a lovely buzz in Devonshire Road."

This was Denise's first experience of having a stall at the market and she said there was "really positive feedback from local people."

"I had a few comments that they were pleased local traders had participated and they liked the mix. The market had a really nice atmosphere - it's great because it has been so gloomy on television and weatherwise, and then to have this busy event. It was a nice atmosphere when we were setting up and all the stallholders are very friendly. Let's have some positive energy in Bexhill."

There was a wide range of goods on display from France, including saucissons, traditional handmade soap, tablecloths and linen, fruit and vegetables and sweets from Montelimar. There were cashmere sweaters, dramatic and decorative fabric flowers, enamel pans and casseroles, and patisserie '“ however the popular character known as the French Flowerman was not able to attend as he was recovering in hospital from an accident on Friday.

Bexhill traders included Natural Flow with a wide range of stylish boho and ethnic clothing, Curves in Sackville Road, and Quinn's delicatessen.