Growing up in Manchester I was used to visiting the market regularly with my mum where she bought the majority of our food. Moving to Brighton when I was nine, we’d visit London Road market and do the same, stopping for a hot Vimto at the café, and me and my brother holding our noses as we ran through the fish section! When we moved to Seaford, we used the two fruit & veg shops, and Dymock Farm, until they closed one by one leading us to use the big supermarket for everything, buying the same perfect looking vegetable in January as we did in August, forgetting the seasons, forgetting sprout tops, and taking it for granted that everything on my shopping list would be there.
In 2022, The Seaford Town Market launched on the second and fourth Saturday of each month bringing food from local suppliers, as well as unique locally made crafts and other necessities. Now in it’s fourth year, the market is going strong.
Having a town market benefits the stallholders, the town, and the customer. It gives the small business owner an outlet to sell their wares directly to the customer, keeping the prices down without the overheads of running a premises. Without this opportunity, the small farms or business may never have been more than an idea. Previous stallholders now have a premises after starting with a market stall.
Miranda, the Seaford Town market organiser, has always tried to not directly compete with local businesses in the town, and offers local charities, and community groups the opportunity to have a stall for free. Local shops and cafes are supportive of the market, noting the town is busier on market days which continues into the afternoon. One local café also has a stall, seeing the benefit of reaching the extra customers.
Miranda told me about Kevin, who owned K&L Jewellers for 26 years in the town before retiring. He has a stall for which I’m told, he catches up on the gossip while changing watch batteries and straps. Miranda says he doesn’t stop so she makes sure she takes him a coffee.
Before the beginning of the second world war, 70% of our food in the UK was imported which exacerbated food shortages during the war. The UK was the last country to end rationing which continued until 1954! The government vowed then to ensure the UK was more resilient in growing it’s own food stepping up food production to an industrial scale which we know now has caused detrimental harm to our wildlife, water, soil, and climate. With our current easy access to food grown from anywhere in the world, UK food production is now only 50 – 60% of our food supply. Are we thinking enough about our food resilience?
Locally produced food offers huge, sometimes unseen benefits to our local economy. An article from the Sustainable Food Trust reports: The New Economics Foundation found that every £10 spent in a local food business is worth almost £25 to the local economy. Research from the University of Gloucestershire revealed that for every £1 invested in local food, between £6 and £8 are returned to society in the form of social and economic benefits, including health, wellbeing, training and skills. Why local food can restore our failing food system.
We’re currently very fortunate in this country to have easy access to any food we want. With food prices shooting upwards, and the greater chances of climate, and global shocks affecting our food cost and availability, it is becoming more important to ensure we have access to locally produced food. As well as the offer of more variety, local food can be healthier and better for the environment. The market is a vital asset to the local community, local economy, the environment, and for local food resilience.
Seaford Town Council is currently holding a survey asking the local community about their views on the market and whether it should continue. Please complete the short survey and let the council know what you think. If you completed the consultation about the market last year, it is important to continue to share your views again this year.
This article was written by Gemma MacFarlane