Page 37 - Market Times August 2021
P. 37

FEATURE • BOWNESS 37
  Glebe Sunday Market in Bowness-on-Windermere is the latest must-visit attraction in the Lake District. Nicola Gould finds out how a market started from scratch two years ago has exceeded all expectations
The rolling, wooded hills leading down to Lake Windermere inspired Arthur Ransome’s novel Swallows and Amazons and Beatrix Potter characters like Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggywinkle.
Now they provide the stunning backdrop for a market which has found favour with arty, crafty traders, traditional market folk and local young people who are show- casing their talents and passions with the aim of getting fledgling businesses up and running.
The latter includes Rosie Holiday with her home-made cakes, Aliysha Butcher who sells her home-made resin jewellery and key rings, and Natasha Brown who is trying to get her eco homewares business off the ground on the Sunday market while working full-time.
And not to forget 14-year-old Millie Clarke who started off selling a few sweets
on the market. She now gets up at 6 am every Sunday and has a thriving business selling sweets, slush drinks, candy floss and milk shakes.
All in all what is known as Glebe Market is a remarkable success story on the banks of England’s largest lake. Located on tennis courts close to the main quay for boats at Bowness, it is packed full with 40 traders under smart gazebos serving a constant flow of shoppers including locals and tourists.
And this has all happened in the space of two years during the worst pandemic for a century.
The story began over two years ago when an idea to start a market at Bowness was mooted by a BID (Business Improvement District)-style partnership involving the local council, South Lakeland District.
Phil Byers was approached as he had set
up Prom Art, an arty market in Grange- over-Sands, when he was working for private market operator Groupe Geraud.
He was also managing the vibrant Keswick Market for Geraud and is currently managing it for Allerdale council.
Phil ran a nursery for many years and used to sell plants on Keswick market where he met his wife, Charlotte, who sells accessories.
“They were talking about starting a market to bring something a bit different to Bowness,” Phil said.
The town is a tourist honeypot, especially in the summer, with boats galore and tourists flooding the place to soak up the beauty of Lake Windermere and to visit major attractions like the Beatrix Potter centre.
The preferred location was a grassy area by the quay, but Phil pointed out it was
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