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> Visit Stroud: farmers' market of the Year

Getting into a rut with your farmers’ market ideas?
COME TO STROUD FARMERS’ MARKET AND BE REFRESHED!

Stroud farmers’ market, winner of the 2008 FARMA Farmers’ Market of the Year, has brought new life to a fading town centre and is the centrepiece of the community. It is run by Clare and Kardien Gerbrands whose energy, passion and creativity has pushed the frequency of the markets to weekly on Saturdays, and grown the number of stallholders to over 50. Although the farmers’ market no longer receives any funding, it enjoys the support of the town centre management, District Council, Stroud’s MP, David Drew, and many local businesses.

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US ON FRIDAY 30 MAY from around 19.00
for a sociable dinner at a local restaurant to meet stallholders and supporters of the farmers’ market. There are plenty of hotels and B&B close by for an overnight stay.

It is an early start on Saturday 31 May.
The market is set up and trading by 09.00 in the Cornhill Market Place and adjoining streets. Following a tour of the market (and take a look at the Made in Stroud shop in Kendrick Street nearby) we will adjourn to the Imperial Hotel in the centre of the town for presentations, discussions and lunch. You are also warmly invited to take a look at the farmers’ market offices and storage facilities, about a mile away.

WHAT WILL YOU GET FROM THE EVENT?
Lots of take-away ideas for organisers or stallholders:
How to make the farmers’ market matter to local people. Rise to challenges. Get sponsorship. Use the media. Market organisation, and the software running it. The concept of ‘Made in Stroud’ to showcase local producers. Friends in high places. Make time to attend if you can, it could be just the refreshment you need!

Ticket price just £40 +VAT for FARMA members!
Ticket price £60 +VAT for non-members

Click here for more information and booking info

Award winner Richard Stanley being presented with the FARMA Pick Your Own of the Year 2008 award by sponsor Rebecca Dawson, Tozer Direct

The BBC's Farming Today focused on the past and future of Pick Your Own at one of our What Makes a Winner events at Rectory Farm in Oxfordshire, winners of the FARMA Pick Your Own of the Year award 2008. Listen to an excerpt from the programme below.

With numbers of Pick Your Own farms dwindling over recent years, FARMA's event at Rectory Farm was both for other FARMA members to come and learn what makes Rectory special, but also as another sounding board for future developments in PYO.

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The FARMA National Awards are unique.
They reward excellence in a number of different categories related to farm retailing and direct sales and, in order to enter them, FARMA members put in a great deal of effort. We ask about business performance, staffing and training; about marketing and publicity; what they are doing as a business to reduce their environmental impact; and what they believe they contribute to their community. These are not everyday questions but they are questions that FARMA believes everyone involved in farm direct sales should be asking of themselves and their team...

Click here to find out more more

The 2008 Award categories are:

• Farm Retailer of the Year rewards all-round business excellence (sponsored by Tyrrells Potato Chips)
• Certified Farmers’ Market of the Year rewards business excellence in farmers’ market management (sponsored by FARMA)
• Own & Local, a new award designed to reward a high proportion of own & local products sold (sponsored by FARMA)
• Best Newcomer rewards a strong business performance from businesses with less than three years trading history (sponsored by G7 Computer Services Ltd)
• Pick Your Own Farm of the Year (sponsored by Tozer Direct)
• Best Bakery is a new award this year, looking for distinction in farm shop bakeries (sponsored by Mantinga)
• Best Butchery is another new award this year, rewarding own production, on-farm butchery skills and presentation (sponsored by Bizerba UK Ltd)
• The FARMA Environmental Award speaks for itself, identifying best-practice in reducing environmental impact in addition to low food-miles (sponsored by Canby)
• The Marketing Award rewards promotional activities linked to strategic objectives, which have a demonstrable impact on the business (sponsored by Reddipak)
• In addition, there are two occasional, individual Awards presented by the FARMA Council, one is for Lifetime Achievement and the other is called Community Spirit. Both are presented this year.

Click here to find out more more

BBC Countryfile visited Stroud Farmers' Market, winner of this year's Certified Farmers' Market of the Year award and talked with Clare Gerbrands, market manager, and our own Gareth Jones. Sandy Boyd of Ludlow Food Centre was also interviewed in the programme on the topic of farm shops.

See the programme below:

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