Phil Gillam: Couple pitch in with Fairtrade stall at Shrewsbury Market Hall

You'll be flapping through some second-hand books one minute, eyeing up the fruit and veg the next, admiring arts and crafts and photography, then purchasing lovely fresh bread and cakes, before stopping for a coffee and a scone.

Oh look – there's a gleaming die-cast model of a vintage double-decker bus … I quite fancy that. Oh and look at these freshly-baked Victoria sponges! "But I shouldn't! I really shouldn't!" … And upstairs there's the wonderful White Rabbit Records with thousands of vinyl LPs. I could spend hours there.

As I walk around, noticing board games here, jewellery there, and vintage clothes over there, I'm reminded that I once had a little Saturday job in one of the shops under the market (Millets) back when I was a teenager in the early 1970s, selling tents and waterproof jackets, but also flared jeans, ostentatious belt buckles, truly terrible patterned tank-tops, and outrageously colourful shirts that were very popular at the time. Oh, and some of the T-shirts we sold you would not believe.

Well, it was the era of David Essex, Suzi Quatro, Barry White, Leo Sayer, Alvin Stardust, Sparks, The Osmonds, Mud, The Rubettes and Showaddywaddy, so fashion was going through a difficult phase.

And I'm also reminded that our dear departed dad also worked here in the market for a few years. Of course, during his working life, our dad had more jobs than Rick Stein's had hot dinners, but that's a story for another day.

Ah, the memories!

Coming bang up to date, though, this week sees the last few days of Fairtrade Fortnight which is being celebrated in the market hall.

And this brings me to the Reverend Ken Chippindale and his wife Meriel who are running a new Fairtrade stall.

Oddly, despite being a Fairtrade town, Shrewsbury has been without a dedicated Fairtrade shopping outlet for more than two years. But that omission has now been fixed.

A new stall has opened up to coincide with the aforementioned Fairtrade Fortnight.

Fairtrade is a scheme supporting farmers in countries worldwide to get a fair price for their produce.

There used to be a Fairtrade shop on St John's Hill but that was forced to close due to family commitments.

Now, the new stall, which has taken over the Army and Navy pitch on the market's lower level, is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and stocks a wide range of produce including teas, coffees, sugars, dried fruit, muesli, geo-bars and chocolate, as well as crafts and cards.

As I say, the Reverend Ken Chippindale and his wife Meriel are behind the new stall (both literally and figuratively) along with an army of volunteers aged from 30 to 80-plus.

And they're determined to make it a success.

Mrs Chippindale said: "We feel we have a great pitch now and we want people to know that Shrewsbury, which was made a Fairtrade town six years ago, now has a Fairtrade outlet once again. Anyone is welcome to pop along and see what we have to offer."

The new stall is a superb and admirable venture, but I'll bet they don't sell burgundy and orange tank-tops, 14-inch flared jeans or belt buckles in the shape of a golden eagle!