Market campaign to provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs

A campaign is offering opportunities for young entrepreneurs in Leighton Buzzard. Young people aged 16 to 25 will be offered free pitches at Leighton Buzzard Market for the Love Your Local Market 2016 campaign.

Leighton-Linslade Town Council will be participating in the campaign, which is led by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

Economic activity

The council is hoping to bring in new market traders through the campaign and boost economic activity in the area.

The Love Your Local Market campaign was first launched in 2012 amidst fears over the future of the nation’s high streets. Since the launch, over 4,000 events have been organised by participants of the campaign.

This year’s event will see over 1,200 markets from across the UK taking part. In addition to offering free pitches for young entrepreneurs, Leighton Buzzard will also be speaking to local stallholders to find out how they started their business. The council will be posting the interviews on its Facebook and Twitter sites.

Leighton Buzzard will also be holding its Pop-up Market event later this month, which will enable market traders to have access to stalls at subsidised rates and provide opportunities for business start-ups and expansions.

Valued community

Commenting on the campaign, a spokesperson for the council said: “Love Your Local Market campaigns highlight the importance that our markets play in the heart of our communities, not only for retail but as valued community focal points.”

The council is now accepting applications from young entrepreneurs who are interested in applying for a free pitch.