Christmas market a "disappointment" says organiser, but please keep supporting traders

The Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) launched its Christmas market on December 11. However, many traders have already closed up and left despite the market running until Sunday.
One stallholder, who asked not to be named, said that when the market was being set up there was so much rubbish in the area that she had seen rats behind her chalet, and that the stench had made her “physically ill”.
“I was so embarrassed that I cleared it myself,” she said. “How can you have Christmas spirit if you are in a dump?”
The market also faced criticism from visitors, including for having too many food outlets compared to stalls offering Christmas gifts, crafts and activities. On opening, 70 per cent of the chalets were food stalls.
BID managing director Russell Downing said he hoped the public would support the traders that remained at the market for its last few days.
“We are naturally disappointed that what we expected to be a bigger and better Christmas market this year has turned out to be modest in size,” he said. ‘We used a professional events organiser with a proven track record to secure businesses to take stalls, and I must agree that the number taking up the opportunity has been very disappointing – far fewer than we expected, so we are in discussions about what has gone wrong.”
For the full story, pick up a copy of today's Newbury Weekly News.