Bishop Auckland Town Council has provided £500 from their Community Fund to help to support the town’s monthly Street Food Market.
The Market, coordinated by Baccanalia and Bridge Creative, is an open air event in the Market Place on the last Friday of every month from 4-9pm from March to October. It features local food pop ups from the town and region offering a range of world flavours, alongside live entertainment and music. The Street Food Market partners with a monthly Makers Market in No.42 and The Cabaret Club in Mrs M to give visitors a range of entertainment choices. Many of the surrounding independent businesses also extend their opening to meet the opportunities the market brings.
Mayor of Bishop Auckland, Cllr Sam Zair said: “The Street Food Market has become an important monthly cultural event for the town, as it is family friendly, and openly accessible, meaning that the community can just come along for the atmosphere. They can see live entertainment and listen to live music while sampling some delicious food from around the world. There’s also plenty to peruse or buy at the Makers Market, and local independent traders. Supporting the market is a great way for the council to support the businesses of the town, as it helps to facilitate footfall, which in turn helps local businesses in these challenging times, and gives local street food traders the opportunity to showcase their food too.”
The funding has been provided from the Town Council’s Community Fund, which offers grants of up to £500 to support local organisations working for the benefit of the residents of Bishop Auckland. More information on the fund is available on the town council website.
Thomas Wales, Director of Baccanalia said: “It was so important to us to step in to keep this activity going for the town. Having moved quickly to get it up and running, we were then faced with the task of keeping it going. There are lots of costs involved in putting on a market with little opportunity to recoup given that it is open access to the public. It was a no-brainer to ask BATC for financial support through their Community Fund since we both have the exact same goal when it comes to Bishop Auckland. We still have a way to go in supporting the Street Food Market, so businesses are welcome to get in touch to discuss advertising or sponsorship.”
Click here to find out more about how you can support this local venture.