June Markets at Haslemere and Milford

We have a cracking line up of local producers for you at both Haslemere and Milford this month. The weather has been kind to us lately, and fingers crossed it continues to be. Come down to the markets, stock up on your favourite products and continue to support our amazing local producers.

At Haslemere, we have the return of Frensham Market Farm with their delicious, locally grown seasonal vegetables.

We have an update from our chairman, Luke, which includes the progress on transitioning from a cooperative to a community interest group (CIC) and the benefits it brings. Do let him know if you have any feedback.

Click on the links below for an up-to-date list of attendees at each market.

Haslemere Farmers’ Market

• Date: Saturday, 7th June
• Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Location: High Street, Haslemere, GU27 2LA
• Producers in Attendance: Click Here

Milford Farmers’ Market

• Date: Sunday, 15th June
• Time: 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM
• Location: Secretts Farm Shop, Milford
• Producers in Attendance: Click Here

Fresh Spring Vegetables from Frensham Market Farm

June sees the return of Frensham Market Farm with their locally grown seasonal produce. Expect to find beetroot, sugar snap peas, salad, onions, herbs, lots of leafy greens and more. You wont find fresher or more local produce!

Chairmans Update

It’s hard to believe that summer is finally here, with rain lashing against the window and strong winds whipping through the trees. We are hoping that things settle down for our markets this month at Haslemere and Milford. That being said the ground certainly needs the water as our sheep fields are looking decidedly like the Serengeti.

After a very busy spring with lambs, goat kids and many litters of piglets we’ve finally had the sheep shorn and our life is a little easier for a few weeks until the hay season starts. Speaking with some of our producers I know that their lives are really busy as it’s the key growing season and things are also very busy on the bee keeping front too.

In April we carried out some research to look at our customer base for the markets. It makes for interesting reading and I will share the key results of this in the next newsletter. The key feedback is that we certainly do have a loyal customer base who are generally geographically local to each market although there is some transition across them both.

Haslemere is running particularly well in terms of stall capacity, Milford has room for significant growth and this is something we aim to address over the coming year. Again if there are any suggestions for further stalls please let me know and we can discuss to grow a bigger and more diverse community of producers.

We have some positive news about the community interest company (CIC). Our application has been successful and now the hard work begins behind the scenes to transition from the cooperative. The CIC will enable us to give more to the community through voucher schemes, supporting local interest stalls and special events. Last month for example some of the stall holders supported a dementia breakfast based in Haslemere, providing items for the menu.

If any of our members have any ideas on how to support the communities of Haslemere and Milford more fully please get in touch and share them with us. For those of you who attend the Ripley market, we are looking at launching a loyalty scheme similar to the one that is utilised there, a win win for customers and producers alike.

Community support is essential for growth and developing a thriving enterprise. As producers we are also an eclectic group of individuals coming together for the shared passion of providing excellent products, making our own community.

Recently one of the producers who we work alongside at other markets received hate and abuse from a member of the public for their ignorant perception of their community. At South West Surrey we have a zero tolerance of hate to our membership and persecution will not be tolerated from anyone. There are enough pressures in navigating this life without picking apart others. We must focus on the positives in diversity and embrace the good in all of us.

If you have any feedback, please do get in touch.

Luke Gates
Chairman, South West Surrey Farmers’ Markets