Love Your Market Week
It’s time to celebrate our thriving market town as part of the
national Love Your Market Week (2nd to 7th July)!
Bedford’s market history dates back more than 800 years, when
King Henry II granted the charter in 1166 which would allow
Bedfordians to hold their own market.
Since the 1500s, a market was held on St Paul’s Square until
eventually it outgrew the site and moved to the Riverside Square
car park some 18 years ago. It was not until February 2002
that part of the market returned to its roots on St Paul’s Square
and Harpur Square, bringing it back to the heart of Bedford’s town
centre.
Here in Bedford our markets have bucked wider trends and have
continued to grow and to thrive with plans to extend the market’s
footprint to accommodate additional traders underway.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said; “Our markets play a vital role in our
local community and every week they offer a colourful array of
interesting and varied goods to purchase.
Our markets really help bring Bedford to life, making it a more
vibrant place to live work and visit, and I urge everyone to come
out and support them this week and beyond.”
As part of Love Your Market Week, the Charter Market will run
everyday from Monday 2nd until Saturday 7th July;
Visiting markets including stalls from the Continental Market
and Handmade in Bedfordshire will also be in the town centre from
Wednesday 4th to Saturday 7th.
The Gourmet Food Market will be on Thursday 5th and the Home and
Garden Market will run on Friday 6th.
Free reusable market bags provided by Bedford Borough Council
will also be handed out from Wednesday through to Saturday.
Interested in becoming a market trader? Contact Paul or Wayne in
the Markets Team on 01234 718676 for a chat and more
information.
To find out more about Love Your Market Week visit; http://www.nabma.com/mary-portas-ppomotes-national-market-day/.