Residents praise the successful Stanley street food market
Crowds have been heading to Stanley Front Street for its quarterly street food markets, with local residents praising its success in bringing people back to the declining high street.
The Stanley food market, which launched in April, is an initiative organised by food market specialists Baccanalia and sponsored by Karbon.
With an average of 1,500 people attending each of the free events to date, the initiative has not only created a vibrant, social event bringing the community together but has boosted footfall on the high street for local businesses.
Local Karbon resident, Lesley Brearey, from Catchgate, praised the food market she attended in August. She said: “It’s nice to see Front Street busy. I’m old enough to remember how bustling Front Street used to be with the town market, so it’s nice to see the front street in use like that again.
“Walking along, the smells are just beautiful. There are some really interesting stalls and it’s nice to see something different for sale. It’s nice to be able to come into town and to buy bits locally, rather than buying online.
“Stanley is a really friendly community. It’s had its fair share of knockbacks, but the town is fighting its way back. There’s a lot of positive feeling in the community about the future of the town and events like these are really helping that.
“And it’s great that Karbon has supported this to happen. Karbon is really committed to community development and supports so many local projects. It would be great to see more events like this happening on the front street.”
Sponsorship of the markets forms part of our Fair Foundations approach to placeshaping, which focuses on delivering projects that help make lasting change and support social growth.
Victoria Keen, Place Lead at Karbon Homes, said: “We know the vibrancy of the high street is something that our residents and key stakeholders believe is one of town’s biggest challenges.
“To help strengthen the local economy, support local businesses and build pride in place, we saw the food market concept as an exciting opportunity to bring more people to the Front Street and celebrate where they live.
“It’s been fantastic to work with Baccanalia, who have a brilliant reputation for delivering successful markets in locations across County Durham. The positive feedback we’ve received from residents so far demonstrates perfectly the impact events like this can have on a community.
“We’re continuing to explore other initiatives we can support that have a similar enlivening effect on the high street.”
Michael Webstell, Cultural Events Producer at Baccanalia, said: “Our events are always community based and are designed to bring communities together and closer.
“We get lots of people from all walks of life coming together, enjoying the town where they live and some of the best street food in the North East. We hope the ripple effect of these events will be a boost in footfall to the high street and a lift in civic pride.”
Taking place bi-monthly, on the second Friday, the next market is scheduled for 10 October.
Crowds have been heading to Stanley Front Street for its quarterly street food markets, with local residents praising its success in bringing people back to the declining high street.
The Stanley food market, which launched in April, is an initiative organised by food market specialists Baccanalia and sponsored by Karbon.
With an average of 1,500 people attending each of the free events to date, the initiative has not only created a vibrant, social event bringing the community together but has boosted footfall on the high street for local businesses.
Local Karbon resident, Lesley Brearey, from Catchgate, praised the food market she attended in August. She said: “It’s nice to see Front Street busy. I’m old enough to remember how bustling Front Street used to be with the town market, so it’s nice to see the front street in use like that again.
“Walking along, the smells are just beautiful. There are some really interesting stalls and it’s nice to see something different for sale. It’s nice to be able to come into town and to buy bits locally, rather than buying online.
“Stanley is a really friendly community. It’s had its fair share of knockbacks, but the town is fighting its way back. There’s a lot of positive feeling in the community about the future of the town and events like these are really helping that.
“And it’s great that Karbon has supported this to happen. Karbon is really committed to community development and supports so many local projects. It would be great to see more events like this happening on the front street.”
Sponsorship of the markets forms part of our Fair Foundations approach to placeshaping, which focuses on delivering projects that help make lasting change and support social growth.
Victoria Keen, Place Lead at Karbon Homes, said: “We know the vibrancy of the high street is something that our residents and key stakeholders believe is one of town’s biggest challenges.
“To help strengthen the local economy, support local businesses and build pride in place, we saw the food market concept as an exciting opportunity to bring more people to the Front Street and celebrate where they live.
“It’s been fantastic to work with Baccanalia, who have a brilliant reputation for delivering successful markets in locations across County Durham. The positive feedback we’ve received from residents so far demonstrates perfectly the impact events like this can have on a community.
“We’re continuing to explore other initiatives we can support that have a similar enlivening effect on the high street.”
Michael Webstell, Cultural Events Producer at Baccanalia, said: “Our events are always community based and are designed to bring communities together and closer.
“We get lots of people from all walks of life coming together, enjoying the town where they live and some of the best street food in the North East. We hope the ripple effect of these events will be a boost in footfall to the high street and a lift in civic pride.”
Taking place bi-monthly, on the second Friday, the next market is scheduled for 10 October.
More news
124 Extra Care apartments get green light from planners
What is a Social Value Connector?
If you’re looking for a rewarding job supporting and improving our communities, then our Social Value Connector role could be right up your street.