Sleaford Christmas Market will be on SUNDAY after agreement not to switch days

Preparations are underway for this year's Sleaford Christmas Market, but plans by the organising group to switch it to a Saturday have been dropped after a passionate plea from local traders concerned that the change might hurt their business.
Lights switch on at Sleaford Christmas Market. EMN-180621-111356001Lights switch on at Sleaford Christmas Market. EMN-180621-111356001
Lights switch on at Sleaford Christmas Market. EMN-180621-111356001

Following discussions with the organisers on the Christmas Market Group and listening to the feedback from traders and local businesses, who have attended and taken part in previous years, last night the Town Council agreed to support the recommendation that the Christmas Market be moved back to Advent Sunday, December 2. The event will run from 11am to 5pm.

The Christmas Market Group would like to encourage as many traders and local businesses to attend as possible and several had expressed their disappointment at the market being moved to a Saturday. The group says that traders and businesses are an extremely important part of the market.

Cara Jade Sandy from the Christmas Market Group organising the event commented: “We’ve heard from local businesses and traders and all the members of Sleaford and have changed the date due to popular demand. We are wanting to make the market great for everyone and want everyone to be involved as much as possible and changing the date will hopefully make everyone enjoy it more and bring more people out to the market. We’re all very excited about it.”

Following the decision, the Clerk to the Council, Kevin Martin, has spoken to local business owner and organiser of the Bristol Arcade Christmas Market, Sarah Graves, who is very pleased that the market will be reverting to the Sunday.

Traders in the arcade have developed a successful festive event coinciding with the annual Christmas Market and Sarah is looking forward to working with the Christmas Market Group to help make it a successful day.

Miss Graves had addressed town councillors last night (Wednesday) on behalf of several concerned traders, particularly those that participate in the Bristol Arcade event.

She it is their busiest day of the year, while recognising it may be time for change, she suggested the Sunday market ought to be built up and then potentially expand to Saturday as well. She said opening late was not ideal either, saying that the Saturday was normally a day when many people, having just been paid, headed off to bigger cities or shopping centres like Meadowhall and local businesses would lose a vital day’s trade that they could little afford at a key time when the economic climate is tough enough.

The Christmas Market Group have lots of new ideas for the market and will utilise different areas this year for the day, including the Town Hall for indoor traders, Eastgate Car Park and the Market Place, after opting not to close off Southgate to traffic.