Market traders affected by Nottingham Castle collapse handed boost

More than twenty independent market traders affected by the collapse of Nottingham Castle Trust have been handed a boost by the city’s BID.

A Christmas market scheduled to take place at the Castle from Friday (25 November) has been cancelled after the Trust began the process of appointing liquidators, leaving the traders high and dry.

Now, Nottingham Business Improvement (BID) has joined forces with Pitch Presents and the Creative Quarter to provide an alternative trading location on Sneinton Market Avenues.

Visit Nottinghamshire, which works with visitor economy businesses to promote the city regionally, is also working with Nottingham BID to make sure visitors and residents are updated regarding the relocation of the event.

Twenty-three traders including Dukki Gifts, Doughnotts and Chillibobs are set to participate.

Alex Flint, CEO of Nottingham BID, said: “The festive season is now well underway in Nottingham and traders have been making preparations for months, ahead of what is a vitally busy and profitable time for local businesses.

“On hearing the news about Nottingham Castle, we knew decisions needed to be made to enable the diverse range of local food retailers and makers to continue to trade. Taking decisive action and working collaboratively with Pitch Presents and Creative Quarter has meant we have collectively secured a new event venue at Sneinton Market Avenues.

“When Nottingham faces challenges like this, we pride ourselves on finding solutions; in this instance, the strength of our partnerships has demonstrated that we are a city which cares, and pulls together to support the local economy.”

Olivia Aspinall from Pitch said: “We are sad to hear about the news of Nottingham Castle shutting its doors, and we hope they can pull through a very difficult period. Our aim at Pitch is to support Nottingham’s independents as we love everything that independent business represents and the community that it creates.

“The creatives attending the Christmas Craft Market would have worked so hard for weeks, investing money and time into stock to sell, Christmas is such an important time for indie businesses. We look forward to welcoming you to support all these amazing Nottingham brands this weekend. Thank you to the businesses of Sneinton Market Avenues, CQ Nottingham & Nottingham BID for their continued support.”

Tamily Cookson, CEO of the Creative Quarter, added: “The closure of Nottingham Castle is a sad loss for the city on a wider scale, but we quickly realised we could alleviate the immediate impact on the Christmas Market traders, thanks to the strong reputation we already have for showcasing independent creative businesses here at Sneinton Market Avenues.

“We’ve collaborated with the wonderful Gayle and Olivia at Pitch for the last year, running successful events in the Creative Quarter over the summer and into the festive season, so we already had all the infrastructure in place to facilitate a quick turnaround and ensure the market goes ahead. It’s been a real team effort.”

The relocated market will take place from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November.