Page 16 - Market Times August 2021
P. 16

16 MARKET TIMES • AUGUST 2021 Pudsey Market scores with
 Leeds United mural
BY NICOLA GOULD
PUDSEY Market in West Yorkshire has had an unlikely boost from an eye-catching mural painted as a tribute to four of Leeds United’s footballing legends who died recently.
The mural, which was officially unveiled this summer, pays tribute to Jack Charlton, his fellow defender Norman Hunter, the club’s highest goal scorer Peter Lorimer and Trevor Cherry.
The players helped make the club one of the top sides in Europe back in the day.
Traders supported the concept of the mural by Leeds artist Nicolas Dixon which is painted on the gable end of an adjacent building, providing a colourful backdrop to the market.
They hope it will attract new
people and everyone agrees it brightens up the place.
Paul Hepworth, who started selling second-hand books on Pudsey market at 13, said: “We watched the mural being painted, which was interesting. It has created some interest. There was an official unveiling and you do see people turning up to have a look at it.”
Paul remembers the days when Pudsey Market, between Leeds and Bradford, was incredibly busy. He was first on the market in his pushchair when his mother, Judy, sold cakes and biscuits on a stall.
“We had a lot of books kicking about the house and at 13 I decided I would start selling them on the market to make a bit of pocket money for a holiday,” he said.
Judy, who stood the market from 1970 to 2003 and helps out on Paul’s stall, said: “This was a really busy market, but times change.’
Like the other traders, she welcomes the mural and hopes it will help put the market back on the map.
“I was really pleased that it pays tribute to Norman Hunter because he was local to Pudsey and used to shop here. He was a really lovely man,” she added.
On the football field, Hunter had a reputation as a hard man and earned the nickname Norman ‘Bites Yer Legs’ Hunter.
Other traders say the new mural brightens up market days. Fish man Daniel Lee has stood Pudsey market for 25 years.
“Early on it was a very busy
market but I still do well here and it has definitely picked up since lockdown.”
He says the bright, cheerful mural can only help the market.
Debbie Campbell began trading on Pudsey market in April after she was made redundant from her mill job because of the pandemic.
“I can’t honestly say the mural has made a lot of difference to trade, but I have found this market quite good and I love the people,” said Debbie, who runs a baby and childwear business called Beau’s Boutique.
The artist, Nicolas Dixon, is a lifelong fan of Leeds United, and says the project, which took six months to get planning permission, brought together his two passions for art and football.
  Simon Hepworth, who has been selling second-hand books on Pudsey Market since he was 13, is pictured with his mother, Judy, who started selling cakes and biscuits on the Yorkshire market in 1970, in front of the Leeds United mural











































































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