OPEN at last – that was the feeling at Wigton Market last week as stallholders were able to open for the first time since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed.

Traders set up their stalls two metres apart and set to work for the day, with clear signage and traders taking extra precautions to keep their customers and themselves safe.

Standing under the cover of her stall, Bethany Crabtree from Bake Stall country foods said: “It’s good to be back!

“We’ve not been able t do much while the market has been closed so it’s nice now to be able to welcome back all our customers.”

Also pleased to have his stall back up and running was Mark McComb, who runs a sweet stall. “It’s strange to be back open,” he said, “and the market hasn’t done a bad job with all the signage and protection available.

“A lot of people have been out to support us but it is still slow – we just hope it picks up over the coming weeks.”

One of those feeling the market should never have been closed in the first place was stallholder Barry Shaw, of Shaw Meats. He was also pleased to be back.

He said: “The market should never have stopped. It has had a huge impact on a lot of traders who have not been able to trade for the last few months.

“We’ve been lucky, we managed to do a lot of deliveries, but those who couldn’t have felt the pinch.

“We’ve had to think out of the box to keep going and it’s great to welcome back our customers and move forward.”

The market has seen a few changes to help with social distancing. Phil Byers, markets manager for Allerdale council, said: “We’re really pleased to be back up and running.

“We have installed signage to remind people of the rules and installed a hand sanitising station, which lots of people are using.

“It’s a huge relief to have the market back open and we’re still working to get the rest open.”

Taking extra precautions is June Kitchen who runs the free-range egg stall. She said: “We didn’t know what to expect but we have gloves, masks and sanitiser to keep us and our customers safe.”

Finally able to pick up his much-loved items from the market, Raymond Johnston, from Wigton, said: “It’s spot on. I’ve missed the market. I was a little worried it wouldn’t be here.

“I would rather come down to the market than go into the shops where there are lots of people."