Page 7 - Market Times February 2021
P. 7

FEATURE • CHIPPENHAM
business, The Rolling Stoves, run by Debbie and Gary Burch who serve up tasty and nutritious hot food from their converted 1972 Viking caravan.
Theirs is an unusual story. Gary used to run an office refitting and decorating company in London and Debbie managed a wedding business.
“We retired and sold our large house in Ascot and bought a Winnebago,” Debbie said. They toured Europe in it for a couple of years then decided to buy a house and settle into retirement in Wiltshire.
“But there’s only so much daytime television you can watch,” Debbie said.
7
 They decided to set up the catering business to meet people and to have something to do.
“We planned to do events and shows, but the pandemic put paid to that, and we just love it on Chippenham market every Friday and Saturday,” Gary added.
Other unusual new traders include Elena Stevens who sells her homemade chocolates and local honey and Ilke Koszuk who sells ethically-sources, organic cotton t-shirts, each of which has an imaginative design and its own story.
Elena said: “Making chocolates was a hobby. The pandemic has stopped me working as a piano teacher but I have
enjoyed my first few months on this market.”
Ilke said: “My husband and I had this idea for t-shirts and we are trying it out on this market which is local for us.”
Coun Hutton said the council was very pleased with the way the market had grown and the variety and quality it now offered.
“When things have settled down we can think about developing it further as there is room for expansion,” she said.
Meanwhile, traders and the town council are hoping the new traders and customers continue to support this growing market.
  George Palmer runs the popular cheese, pie and bacon stalls owned Andy White has been selling cakes and biscuits on the market for by Catleys Chilled Foods the past eight years
Ilke Koszuk began selling her unique, ethically-sourced cotton t-shirts last July, after the first lockdown
  FACTS & FIGURES
l Market Days: Fridays and Saturdays
l Market Rent: £9 a metre
l Chippenham’s claim to fame: Chippenham in Wiltshire was a royal home to Alfred the Great and was an important centre for the woollen industry, then for dairy and ham products. Today, there are a number of big employers, but Chippenham is also a commuter town for Bath, Bristol, Swindon and London. Rock and roll singer Eddie Cochran was involved in a fatal crash in the town. A plaque marks the site of the crash on Rowden Hill.
 n













































































   5   6   7   8   9