Oswestry market return is hailed despite rain

Around 16 stalls were out for the return of the market on Wednesday, with the town council's retail markets and events manager, David Clough, saying weeks of preparation had gone into making sure it was possible.

Mr Clough welcomed the return of what has been a fixture of community life in the town.

He said: "Obviously the traders have been keen to come back and earn money but also the market has a real community aspect as well.

"A lot of the traders know customers on first-name terms and see them week in week out, so they want to regain that connection with the local community."

He added: "We are hoping there will be some good local support but at the same time we are keen to maintain that social distance. We have put lots of measures in place to make sure our markets are safe, with hand sanitiser and lots of signs to maintain social distancing."

The number of stalls was down from the 25 or more that would normally be expected at this time of year due to the requirement for social distancing measures needed to reopen in line with government guidelines.

Mr Clough said: "We have a few less stalls in the street because when shops reopen we need to maintain the flow of people and social distance."

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A reopening for the indoor market is planned for later this month, with a number of measures set to be in place for the June 17 date, including a one-way system, plastic screens for some traders, and a queuing system for some of the busiest stalls.

Mr Clough added: "We have had a couple of weeks to think about how we were going to reopen and although it is difficult we have made it as safe as possible for the customers."

The market has faced a significant impact with all of its events planned for the summer cancelled as a result of the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.

Mr Clough said: "We have had to cancel all our events which is a shame because the market has a a lot of events throughout the year but we cannot really encourage any group gatherings."