Arbroath Market has finished its fifth year with a flourish and plans to cement its place as one of Scotland’s best.
This summer it has brought thousands to the Angus town’s Victoria Park – and accolades by the barrowload from traders, tourists and locals.
The 2021 move from Arbroath High Street to the seafront site was a response to Covid as a way of getting it back up and running in somewhere with plenty of space.
And founder Morag Lindsay says it has paid off big style for the event.
This summer has seen 40 to 50 stallholders at the monthly market, with thousands of people turning up on the last Sunday of the month.
They are drawn by the vast array of food and drink which the area is renowned for.
Poverty survey spurred Arbroath Market move
Morag says it’s been a phenomenal result for the event.
She wanted Arbroath to have its own farmers’ market after being stung by a survey which had the town languishing near the bottom of Scotland’s poverty league.
“I’d been involved in different things and was chair of Keptie Friends for a spell,” said Morag.
“One of the things which got me involved in volunteering was an article in The Courier about how Arbroath was one of the worst places in the poverty league.
“I just thought I would do what I could to try and help.
With experience as a stockbroker, she put her business acumen to work alongside that desire to volunteer for the good of the local community.
The market ran successfully on the town centre until the pandemic struck.
But the easing of restrictions last spring saw Morag and the volunteer team make the switch to Victoria Park.
It proved a masterstroke as folk flocked to get back out and about.
So the event has remained there and Morag says it’s likely to stay its permanent home.
“We are so lucky to have so many traders offering wonderful produce and people make it a regular thing to visit because of the high quality,” added Morag.
Focus on community
“But we also try to make it as much of a community day as possible,” she said.
“Other groups such as Arbroath FC Community Trust are regulars.
“At the weekend we had the Auchmithie residents promoting their own heritage event which is coming up and the Royal Marines Cadets collecting donations for the fire service food bank.
“It’s difficult to count the numbers, but it is certainly thousands across the day.
“And we do find that people come from quite a way – not just Angus – so they go into the town to the eateries, pubs and shops.
“We are absolutely thrilled we are still going strong after five years and it has been a great summer.”
But the market volunteers won’t be putting their feet up in the weeks ahead.
“We are being asked to come up with a market for Christmas,” said Morag.
“We’d normally do it on the High Street or the community centre, but that is still being used for vaccinations.
“At the moment we’re looking round for another inside venue and hope to make another great day of it.”
More pictures by photographer Paul Reid of the final busy market of 2022.
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