Make It or Bake It Market

The date for your diary is Sunday, May 24, when hopefully we will enjoy your company at this, our third market, with another earmarked for the autumn.

Roughly 2,500 people attended the launch event on the Green last May (despite the ever present threat of rain on the day), and another 3,500 local folk turned out in the sunshine of September's market.

What has made our markets so unusual isn't so much the wonderful wares that our traders bring to market (though that is reason enough), but it's the role social media has played.

Both Make It or Bake It markets in 2014 relied ENTIRELY on social media to get the message out about the high quality mix of farmers market, street food, and arts and crafts available.

These events were almost exclusively promoted on Facebook and Twitter, and of course via our own regular blogs.

As the saying goes…. it all began with a Tweet!

We originally asked, via the Tettenhall village blog, whether local people wanted to bring the village green alive with a specialist market twice a year and the whole idea grew from that first Tweet!

We were simply astonished by the local enthusiasm for the project from Tettenhall's resident businesses and shops, and from traders of all shapes and sizes. More than 70 trader applications arrived for the very first (wholly untested) market, and well over a hundred for the second event in September.

But with just 30 pitches for each event, it meant that we were heavily oversubscribed.

As someone said on Twitter after the first Make It or Bake It Market: "Tettenhall is a special place. And the first market proved just that!"

What's more, over £1,000 has so far been raised at the markets for charities, including Wolverhampton's Sunnyside Kennels, MS Society Research and the RSPCA (Wolves and Stafford branch).

So, we very much look forward to seeing everyone once again at the third Make It or Bake It market on Sunday, May 24, between 10 am and 3 pm where we are also hopeful of some special surprises in the way of light entertainment!

But more on that another day!

TRADER'S NOTE: Applications are now invited from traders both big and small who believe they fit the Make It or Bake It bill – and once again we will be looking for stallholders who can bring something special to the market, from cheesemakers to crowd pleasers, jewellers, potters, painters and quality street food providers.

In truth, we are usually (though not exclusively) looking for established crafters and this is especially the case when it comes to making food for sale at the market.

But we also try to find room for a couple of 'first timers', looking to try their hand at a market stall with their art and crafts.

The best way to apply for a stall is to email info@tettenhall.co.uk with a full description of your work or wares and ideally some jpeg images showing what you can do.

Thanks to Wolverhampton City Council's markets team and their agency LSD Promotions, a large canopied and colour coded stall is provided to successful applicants together with a table if required.

Please note, there is no electricity on the green, although low noise small generators can be accommodated by special arrangement.

See the original post at Tettenhall.co.uk