It’s Your Local Market

This new market is not just any market. ‘It’s Your Local Market’ is aimed at inhabiting a diverse collaboration of skills to celebrate ‘home based/ workshop, street or community and local food business concepts. The market will offer affordable fresh produce, household products, clothing & sustainable textiles which have been ethically and ‘green living’ manufactured and processed within the London Borough of Lambeth.

We live on a planet slowly disintegrating because of human behaviour, we are continuously looking to create ways of living which have less impact on our environment, ‘It’s Your Local Market’ will follow the ‘Go Green’ ethos by operating a sustainable market by producing for the needs of the community and using the skills, knowledge and experience of its residents and local groups. This creates a circle of sustainability trust which can be everlasting when given the right support to create a greener and healthier environmental market with produce made in Lambeth.

What we’ll do:

• Be the first 100% sustainable market in South London
• Operate and managed by residents & community projects
• Provide a benchmark for people of all diversities
• Offer a residual income for community projects
• Create Environmental Savings
• Established a urban community market supplied by local residents produce
• Encourage learning & skill development
• Boost sustainable green business/spaces and establish a community market
• Regenerate and bring local people/communities together
• Develop workshop community hubs ,i.e. growing food with creative cooking workshops

Why it’s a great idea:

Our aim is to collaborate with the productivity of the many projects within the local community, by bringing skills and knowledge to the fore and establishing opportunities for local resident’s homemade businesses, community projects, workshop groups and local businesses to benchmark their services. In Lambeth, there are ten regular markets managed by the council and private operators. A high percentage of these markets are supported by regular traders from suburban areas, giving minimal opportunities for local people. Many local residents/projects in Lambeth have experience the challenges of acquiring trading opportunities. Our aim is to promote a new era of urban market in the borough, with a variety of Lambeth businesses with local residents, businesses and project groups to promote sustainable, ethical and green living products. Supporting the trader to manufacture and produce to the finest quality to trade, to create the best market place that will be managed by the people.

How we’ll get it done:

• Form a community market board and federation to establish the development of the market
• Develop working partnership with the Council representatives for regulatory advice and information support
• Partnering with Green action groups
• Business partnership with other stakeholders and community groups
• Arrange community project meetings to establish project plan and strategies
• Organise workshops and training sessions for potential traders and volunteers
• Organise Health & Safety and First Aid Training
• Develop Operational business plan
• Coordinate a develop, project plan, schedule events management
• Organise administration, financial constraints and regulatories

The sustainable market will be a model for the estate hubs in Lambeth to form part of a regeneration for deprived areas. The first pilot, being within the Vassall & Coldharbour Ward, Angell Town a diverse community of Afro- African, Caribbean, Spanish and Portuguese ethnics. Angell Town known over the years for its tract record of crime. Our first plans are to carry out community engagement with residents, intensive research and promotional workshops. We will carry out local marketing, door to door activities to obtain the communities interest and involvement. On establishing the potential traders, we would organise supported market trading start up workshops and training sessions. We believe revitalising and regenerating our communities with a unique mix market will support the changes and encourage community relationships through the sharing of experiences and knowledge, business trading within our communities, will increase footfall to our communities and encourage unity.

Source: ICNW