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Locally produced meat, cheese, honey, preserves, bread, organic veg and fish brought fresh from Whitby
... just some of the produce available at the new Yorkshire Deli Market in Headingley,
was launched on Saturday September 9th at 9.00am by
Leeds North West MP, Greg Mulholland. The market is open every second Saturday of the month from 9.00 til
12.30 on the Rose Garden on North Lane and will give the people of Headingley
and beyond an opportunity to buy high quality provisions direct from the grower
or producer.
The market is an initiative of Headingley Development Trust (HDT), a social enterprise set up to use business approaches to revitalise
Headingley for the people of Headingley. With over 700 local members, it saw the market meeting a need for a better variety of food and supporting local Yorkshire producers.
“The range of shops in Headingley has declined dreadfully over the past 20 years. We have an excellent greengrocers and great wholefood shop,
but we have no butchers, nowhere to buy Yorkshire cheese or Yorkshire wet fish and seafood, or locally sourced honey, jams or baked good”, said Helen Seymour and Rachel Harkess, two of the
organising group and HDT directors. “We think the market will help to revitalise Headingley and the existing shops. All research from farmers’ markets across the country shows there is
increased footfall for other traders when the market is on”.
The market is small – just 8-12 stalls - but the organisers invite stallholders whose produce people have said they want, determined
by its local market research. Therefore the market sticks mainly to food, all
sold by the producers themselves. “And we want to stick as far as possible to the “rules” for real farmers
markets in that all produce must come from within 50 miles of Headingley and, where possible, within 30 miles. In certain instances, due to supply constraints (like seafood!) this
requirement may be waived up to a maximum of 100 miles”, say the organisers, a group of nine HDT members.
There is huge enthusiasm for the venture, not just from the people of Headingley. The local authority councillors and officers have been very
supportive indeed and sponsorship has been obtained from Leeds Co-operative Society. "Leeds Co-operative is very pleased to support such a good grass-roots initiative. After all the Co-op
has always been passionate about people "doing it for themselves" and about good quality food", said Alan Gill, chief executive.
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