Taking advantage of a lovely sunny morning (Thursday, March 26) I was able to take the statutory exercise allowed and had a wander over to the market. Not surprisingly there wasn’t one. Conspicuous by their absence were the usual stalls we have come to expect each week come rain or shine and since the bad weather at the start of the year the traders (and customers) have been very thin on the ground.
Its ironic that just as they all started to appear again they too are caught up in this worldwide pandemic. Instead of market stalls we’ve been seeing vehicles parking in the car park on a Thursday and, why not, it eases congestion elsewhere but today, apart from a few lone vehicles, the market car park was empty. No people, no stalls and hardly any cars, something rarely seen before.
The photos show where the stallholders would normally pitch, but today an eerie silence shouted out.
But fear not, there is some good news to report as there are shops open locally where you can still buy essential supplies but in some cases local residents and regulars will be given priority – fantastic news and a great big thank you to them for being there for us.
The least we can do now is support them, not only through this crisis but when it’s all blown over and life regains some sort of normality. Just remember who was there when we needed them most. National supermarkets are doing their bit and serving us well, but to have local shops our doorstep is a privilege we want to hang on to at all costs.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .