Market

Never before has the market been held with the apple blossom still out which shows the lateness of the season. The day broke to a grey and unpromising sky but thanks to good publicity with yellow signs on main roads, we were blessed by a huge crowd of people.

There were events throughout the day designed to amuse all ages and tastes. The Market was opened at 10.00am by our own Parish Council Chairman Bob Davidson who raised the Union Jack on the Blount’s flagpole. In the Church there was an excellent local Arts and Crafts display as well as bell ringing and an organ recital, visited by about 800 people during the day. The Standon Morris Dancers performed on the drive outside Manor Farm and then of course we were please to see the Royston Town Band again. This year a record 167 stalls booked in thanks to the efforts of Marian Murphy; over time the quality of the stalls has improved with food stalls being sited close to one another in the School Playground and there was a large craft tent which once again proved popular. We calculate that nearly £9,500 was raised for Village Charities, surely a remarkable result achieved despite rain that fell in the afternoon. In fact attendance was only about 100 less than last year when the sun shone.

Dating from mediaeval times, the Market has existed in its current form since 1977 with two years cancelled due to bad weather and foot and mouth disease. It is run by the Village Hall under the very capable direction of Tom Wornham and represents one of the Hall’s main sources of funding, as the profit from stall rents and entry tickets goes towards maintenance and running costs, allowing the hall to be let to users at reasonable rates. Other Village organisations such as the School, the Playgroup, the Church and the Scouts raise money by running stalls enjoying the benefit of the large passing trade. But the main benefit is the sense of community spirit that this brings out with new friendships often formed as a result. A big THANK YOU is due to all who helped and to the landowners who allowed the event to take place.

See you all again on 7^th May 2011 and you can download an application form to book a stall by clicking here or you can telephone Marian Murphy on 01763 849073. There is a discount on bookings made before 1 January 2011

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Market history

The origins of Barkway Market are lost in the mists of time. There was a Market in Barkway near the pond in Mediaeval times but it was in 1977 that Barkway Street Market re-started in its present form, when Molly Bruce, Mr Fidler and others wanted to raise money for a village party to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. There have been 30 Markets since then, with only one event curtailed due to the weather and one cancellation due to foot and mouth disease.