With over 450 registrations now for Love Your Local Market it is wonderful to see all the social media and images in this first week of events, celebrations and promotions taking place at markets across the UK.

Our Chief Executive has been proud to share in events at Leighton Buzzard and Oswestry this week when the emphasis, like with many other markets, has been on young traders. It has been heartening to see first hand, and read about, the relationships that operators have built up with local schools, colleges and youth organisations to encourage the entrepreneur and market businesses of the future. 

NABMA is also meeting with Helen Morgan MP on Saturday 20 May, the North Shropshire MP who is a great supporter of markets and Love Your Local Market and is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with a similar role on Local Government. Have you invited your MP to your market in this high profile two weeks for our industry?

Do you have a LYLM story to tell that we can use in our #MarketsFirst Campaign? 

Have any local MPs or celebrities visited your market or intend to do so in LYLM?

Do you have success stories of young traders developing full time businesses at your markets?

Are you using this two week campaign of markets to promote start up business opportunities – is so how?

Please drop me an email with your story so that we can share good practice in our newsletters, conferences and events. davidpreston@nabma.com

Remember, LYLM runs until 27 May. You can still join the campaign. Use the hashtag #LYLM2023 on your social media posts and add yourself to the LYLM map https://nabma.com/the-love-your-local-market-map-2023/

In a critical year for markets we are grateful to all the 450 plus markets, managers, teams and traders that have signed up and are helping to make a difference. Thank You.