- Sep 14, 2017
- 2 min read

Formby Market is due to finish on 29th September but could we be getting a Christmas Market?

Our fantastic Friday Formby weekly Market is due to finish on Friday 29th September. The General Practice Committee held a meeting on 11th September to discuss various items, one of them being the Formby Market.

Councillors at the committee admitted that they had been approached by local residents as well as Formby Market stall holders to see if the market could run to the end of October instead of finishing at the end of September. Unfortunately this decision could not be made by the committee and only by the Full Parish Council.

When Formby Parish Council first agreed to hold a weekly market it was agreed for it to run till the end of September then it would hold a survey with local businesses to see if it had improved local trade. This survey will take place over the coming months and then brought back to the Full Council in order for them to assess the information gained. They would then probably early next year make a decision whether to run the market again over the summer period in 2018.

Enquiries were also made into having a Christmas Market this year but we have now been informed by Sefton Council Market that we have to give 12 months notice to them to consider putting one on for the run up to Christmas. There are a lot of things to consider such as lights, power and heating, plus the stalls will have to be made of wood. The Cllrs will be pushing for this next year.

The interest in the Formby market has been beyond all expectations. With a regular 30 stalls allocated to various traders, this has been a huge success. The Parish Council received an unprecedented amount of support from local businesses and most importantly the people of Formby.

The weekly market commenced on Friday 12th May. The items being sold vary immensely, a lot of which you cannot purchase in Formby itself. There is Bedding, Fashion Accessories, ladies underwear, Food Stands, Rugs, Plants, Wool, Pet Trade items, Handmade Soaps, Artisan Cakes and Bread.

The Parish Council was initially trying to encourage more shoppers into Formby Village but was concerned that this market may impinge on the trade of the shops but, it has definitely struck the right balance and the footfall on most Fridays has increased massively. So the last Formby Friday Market will sadly be on 29th September and all we can do is hope that next year this will be extended and also that we will all hopefully see a Christmas Market in our Bubble.