Yesterday (Tues Feb 2nd) Farmers' Market managers from all over the North East met to plan how to collaborate on some real 'market research' in the form of ‘Market Health Checks’ to find out more about what Farmers' Markets customers’ and producers want.

Farmers' Markets in the North East are run variously by the private sector (Tynemouth and Durham), local authorities, private business, social enterprises, by producers or by volunteers. North East England Farmers' Markets – funded by the Big Lottery Fund – brought the market managers from these very different organisations together for the first time. So - thirteen Farmers' Markets managers met together in a room on level 6 of the Newcastle City Library.

Nic Best, Chair of NEEFM said:
“We could see for miles around and this inspirational setting helped us plan for the first series of Market Heath Checks, the first of which is planned for Newcastle Farmers’ Market on May 7^th.”

Health Checks have helped Farmers' Markets in other parts of the UK to identify opportunities for products and new producers, to obtain funding for new stalls and to get support from local authorities and retailers.