A new market is coming to the High Street in Marlborough on Sundays, selling produce from local traders and ploughing any profits back into the regeneration of the town centre.

The new Community Market is set to start on July 1, replacing the former farmers’ markets that were held monthly in the town hall until July last year.

It will have a market café in a marquee and will also feature an eye-catching 1934 Routemaster double-decker bus, which has been renamed The Routemonster, with kitchens on the lower floor and a café upstairs.

Initially they will be on the first Sunday of each month from 11am to 4pm in the centre of High Street where the traditional Wednesday and Saturday markets are held.

Ellie Gill from Wessex Community Markets is organising the new market for Marlborough Transition Town group and said any profits made from stall fees would go towards the regeneration of the town. She said: “It will be once a month to start with, with a view to it going weekly after a nine-month trial.”

Ms Gill said members of the town council and Transition Marlborough were concerned that, following the loss of the farmers’ market, small producers no longer had a regular outlet and they invited Wessex Community Markets to establish the new market.

She said: “In the early stages of this process it soon became clear that while the new market would have a farmers’ market section, the criteria for farmers’ markets does not always support other local business such as Ramsbury Tea, who supply a range of Fairtrade products.

“In addition we were keen to create a market that provided as wide a product range as possible, so local arts and crafts have been included.”

The idea was floated at the well-attended St John’s School’s annual science fair to gain public feedback and, said Ms Gill, a range of traders have come forward to take stalls at the first of the monthly markets.

She said: “I am truly astounded by the high level of products being put forward. I always knew that Wiltshire hid some talented artisans, food producers and artists but to have so many in the immediate vicinity of Marlborough has come as something of a surprise.”

So far stalls signed up include ales and tea from Ramsbury; bread; honey; cooked foods and middle eastern mezze from Calne; textiles and sculptures from Marlborough and there will also be cut flowers, herbs, perennials, beautiful hand-woven shawls and handmade soaps from producers on the Marlborough Downs.

They need eggs and preserves stalls and new businesses can enrol in the ‘table for a tenner’ scheme.

Contact Ellie Gill 07971 184723 for more details or visit the website: www.marl boroughmarket.org.uk