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Tuesday
16th September 2003
Big grant for farmer's market |
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| Farmers
market |
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A
farmer's market from Worcestershire has been given a big grant to
help promote itself.
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The Teme
Valley Farmers Market, based at the Talbot Hotel at Knightwick, has
been given a grant of almost £6,000.
The money will be used to improve facilities for stall holders and
to pay for signs and promotional material - including banners and
signs - to raise the market’s image at food fairs and other events
they attend.
The new signs and banners had their first outing when the Teme Valley
Farmers Market attended the Ludlow Food Festival on Friday 12th to
Sunday, 14th September.
Since the Rural Enterprise Scheme started operating in 2000 over 114
farms, communities and rural businesses have been awarded grants worth
a total of over £7.58 million to the West Midlands rural economy.
Geoff Sansome from Defra said: "Since Defra gave its first Rural Enterprise
Scheme grant in the West Midlands we have seen an amazing variety
of schemes and proposals, many of which we have been very pleased
to financially support.
"The Teme Valley Farmers Market was one of the first in the country
and reflects both the high quality of produce to be found in the West
Midlands as well as a highly innovative approach to business.
"This grant will help secure their long term success as a source
for quality, local produce which people want to buy.
"That is good for the producers and for the shoppers."
Raising the profile
Jean Clift, who organises the Market, said: "Attending food fairs
has proved a really good way of raising the profile of the Teme Valley
Farmers Market.
"We are very keen to establish the market as a ‘personality’
in its own right.
"It is important to increase awareness of our local produce because,
in turn, it supports the local economy of the area.
"The Teme Valley Farmers Market, when we started six years ago, was
one of the very first in the country and was the first in the West
Midlands.
"We are still the only Farmers Market to attend events like the
Ludlow Food Fair with producers attending under a single entity.
"When we first attended Ludlow in 2001 we had five producers.
This year we will have nine selling produce under our name and have
taken our largest space to date.
"The Defra grant has made our name will be even better known.
"These days we regularly get over 150 people coming to the monthly
markets. That’s very good news for the people selling their produce
and we aim to ensure the Teme Valley Farmers Market has the highest
profile possible." |
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