Celebrating Faversham with our Mad March Markets

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Celebrating Faversham with our Mad March Markets

By Jess Roberts

Faversham Markets hosted a weekend of Mad March Markets and great fun was had by all.

Fun-packed weekend

The Mad March Markets brought thousands of visitors into Faversham on the 26th and 27th of March. What a weekend it was. 

The event was organised by Faversham Town Council, Faversham Markets, Red Dog PR and many great volunteers. It was held to celebrate the arrival of spring and life getting back to normal, following two years of restrictions. 

Many old and new faces took to the cobbled streets to set up their wonderful stalls full of local produce, handmade items, artwork, interactive crafts and more. Visiting Faversham Markets is always a great opportunity to meet the maker, and likewise for the businesses to meet their customers. We saw a lot of happy shoppers and stallholders spending time getting to know each other at the market weekend, which isn’t something you’ll see in national retail chains! You’ll always find a warm welcome and smiling faces here, the Faversham community is one of the best. 

Businesses joined in the fun!

Many of Faversham’s local businesses and shops also got involved in the Mad March Weekend and worked very hard on their window displays. A challenge was set to Faversham’s shops prior to the event to decorate their windows, celebrating all things spring, and we weren’t disappointed. The public voted for their favourites, and the results came in at the end of the second day. 

First place went to The Yarn Dispensary, who decorated their windows beautifully in knitted bunting, stockings, jumpers, and more. Their trophy was presented to The Yarn Dispensary team by Faversham’s Mayor, Alison Reynolds. A special shout out has to go out to the two runners up, Ollie Bongos Pet Essentials and Lotty’s Flowers, whose windows were superb. A lot of time and effort went into everybody’s windows and the results were very close – Faversham town centre looked very special. Thank you to all those that took part, and to the sponsors Alloy Marketing. 

Fun and games

Activities throughout the weekend included the Spot The Hare trail, which was another great success. Hundreds of programmes were picked up and taken around Faversham’s shops to find the hidden hares. The aim was to jot down the letter that the hare was hiding to spell out a secret word. Everybody that completed the task was entered into a hat to pick two winners to win family tickets to the Royal Cinema and some lovely spring pots from Richard’s Plants. 

During the course of the weekend, there was live music, entertainment, and even an appearance from a very cute, miniature pony!

Labyrinth and The Hospice Band provided visitors with some great music which attracted a great crowd, provided a fantastic atmosphere and was key to the success of the event. The two bands also managed to raise an admirable amount of £600 to help support the Hospice and the crisis in Ukraine.

Merryman the Jester was also present, providing fun and entertainment for the children. He never fails to impress with his juggling, magic tricks and silly pranks.  Roleplay Rascals created a fantastic dressing up opportunity, where children could pose in child-sized toy packaging! Craft activities were provided by local charity Holding On Letting Go on Saturday and on Sunday, Nan in a Van entertained the children with pottery painting.

In addition to all of this, we also had a special guest named Rupert. Rupert was a Shetland pony who visited the markets on the Saturday. He enjoyed his time taking photos with the Easter bunny, getting petted by the visitors and munching on hay throughout the day. If you missed him, he will be back at Christmas!  Rupert’s appearance was sponsored by Harrisons Homes and also managed to raise an admirable £200 for Holding On Letting Go.

A great success

Overall, the event was a huge success and brought everyone together after a tough time during the course of the pandemic. We look forward to many more events in Faversham in the weeks to come. 

Claire Windridge, from Faversham Town Council, says: “The purpose of the weekend’s activities was to welcome visitors and shoppers back to Faversham and showcase the town’s wonderful shops and  businesses. A massive thank you to the visitors and businesses who supported the event, it was wonderful to see so many people in town having fun.”

Thank you

Congratulations to Faversham Market,  Faversham Town Council, Red Dog PR and all the charities, stallholders, businesses and entertainers who worked hard to ensure the weekend was a success.  A wonderful example of everyone working together for the good of Faversham.

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