At the awards ceremony today at Birmingham Council House, Oswestry Town Council was presented with a Great British Market Award 2015 as Oswestry Christmas Live won the category for Best Small Speciality Market.
The Great British Market Awards are promoted by the National Association of British Market Authorities and each year nominations are invited from communities from around the UK.
Oswestry Christmas Live has been a flagship event for the town on the first Friday of December each year for over a decade. The main streets are closed to traffic and a fun fair is brought into the town centre alongside live music, street entertainers, market stalls, firework display and local groups and charity organisations.
Chairman of the Judging Panel was NABMA President Councillor Mick Barker of Derby who said “this event is a launch for Christmas in Oswestry and is a wonderful community celebration that does so much to boost local tourism and the local economy. It is without doubt one of the major local attractions in the area over the festive period and is greatly enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. We congratulate Oswestry and its Town Council for their promotion of this much appreciated event.”
Town Mayor Councillor Gareth Jones said today “I was very proud to be at the ceremony today and to receive this award. It puts Oswestry on the markets map again and demonstrates just how hard we work as a Council to boost footfall and the profile of the town.”
Councillor Mrs Hawksley, Chairman of the Council’s Markets and Car Parks Committee added “This is a wonderful reward for our market traders, local charities, our staff and the thousands of people who support this event every year. It shows what successes can be achieved by working together as a community.”
Pictured receiving the award from Sean Wilson, former Coronation Street Actor are the Mayor - Councillor J.G. Jones, Mrs C. Hawksley - Chairman of the Markets & Car Parks Committee and David Clough – Retail and Events Manager.
