Big Wheel arrives at Bolton

A huge travelling fairground wheel will be spinning into Bolton town centre this Christmas. Bolton Council will be bringing a 100 foot Ferris wheel to Victoria Square as part of a bumper festive package to attract thousands of shoppers over the festive period. The giant wheel will be in town from Thursday, December 12th and it is thought that it will be the only one located in Greater Manchester during winter. The ride, which can seat 144 people, will offer a bird’s eye view of the rolling Pennine countryside when people reach the top of the wheel and it will be lit up brightly in the evening. Other highlights of the town centre festive programme include the return of the popular 200 square metre ice rink and a free Santa’s grotto on Victoria Square from November 30th. A speciality market on Newport Street from December 12th to 15th, a chance to meet real reindeer, and street entertainment will also be laid on to pull in the crowds. Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said he is confident that the ride and other attractions will be a hit. “The giant wheel is a fantastic addition to the town centre and something that is sure to appeal to people of all ages. “We know how popular these attractions are from places like Manchester and Liverpool. This particular wheel is one of the biggest of its kind which travels around the country and it has visited locations including Leeds and the Etihad stadium in Manchester. “Together with everything else we’ve got happening, it really will be a winter wonderland experience not to be missed,” he added. Crompton Place Manager, Malcolm Angus, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the council to deliver a healthy dose of festive fun and Christmas cheer for the town. “Crompton Place is at the heart of the community and we are always keen to lend our support to events like this which encourage people to come and make the most of all the great shopping which Bolton has to offer. “While parents are doing their Christmas shopping with us, there will also be the opportunity to bag one of 300 family tickets for a free ride on the giant wheel and skating for an hour on the ice rink when shoppers spend £30 or more in one go at the participating Crompton Place retailers.” From December 12th, the wheel will open: Thursday to Saturday from 11am to 7.30pm; Sundays 11am to 5.30pm; Monday to Wednesday from 11am to 5.30pm. The wheel will be open on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day from 11am to 4pm. It will be closed on Christmas Day. The ride costs: £3.50 for adults; £2.00 for under- 16s, and £2.50 for senior citizens and students. Family tickets at £7 cover two adults and two children or one adult and three children. Joint tickets for the giant wheel and ice rink can also be purchased. Discounts apply and prices vary. Tickets can be bought online from www.visitbolton.com from Monday, October 28th and in person from box offices on Victoria Square when the attractions open. Bolton Market is also looking for quality festive crafts, gifts and decorations traders for a four day specility market taking place from Thursday, December 12th to Sunday, December 15th. Opening times vary and deadline for traders to apply is October 30th. Contact bolton. markets@bolton.gov.uk for more information.
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Bolton Market hits the mark for festival chefs

Proud northerner Paul Hollywood, co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off, likened it to the famous Borough Market in London and said he would definitely be back to pay the Ashburner Street site a visit in the future.

He said: “I am very impressed by Bolton Market. It’s important to me to be able to source fresh, local ingredients for my dishes and here I can find excellent quality fish, fruit and vegetables, which is very satisfying. The market rates among the best and its at least as good as, if not better, than the famous Borough market in London.”

Paul was joined at the food and drink festival by fellow presenter Mary Berry, and together they demonstrated their expert baking skills at three sold-out shows in Victoria Square.

Many thousands of people visited the festival over the four days (Aug 23-26) of the bank holiday weekend. They were able to sample culinary delights from more than 80 stalls; watch celebrity and regional chefs in a series of demonstrations; enjoy the activities at the new children’s food and fun emporium and sit back and relax while being entertained by live bands and street performers, and the sunny weather was a bonus.

Four free cookery demonstrations were staged at Bolton Market. Asian chef Aazam Ahmad provided an entertaining display on Friday morning cooking a salmon curry and on Saturday Sean Wilson from Channel 5’s Great Northern Cookbook performed twice and Harry Yeung from 

Manchester’s Yang Sing restaurant provided a Cantonese twist at his lunchtime show. 
Chef Sean Wilson, ex-Corrie star, made Lancashire cheese and onion pie, oven bottom muffins and Eccles Cakes. He said: “The Bolton Food Festival is a great northern festival for great northern people.”

Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines launched the festival on Friday 23 and provided two enthralling cookery demonstrations for free in the Festival Marquee and then in the Market Place Shopping Centre.  

Michael Caines said: “It is a pleasure and privilege to be back at this event for the third time. Over the last few years I have seen the Bolton Food and Drink festival grow and develop from a local to a national event, with new additions each year.

The festival shows that there is a real appetite for local and regional food and it is crucial in bringing the community together and also boosting the local economy. The festival is a credit to Bolton and it is an honour to be asked to launch it again this year.”


In addition to the free cookery demonstrations in Bolton Market, many more regional chefs performed in the Market Place Shopping Centre, including Andrew Nutter, Anjali Pathak, and Chris Yates. 

Local chef Anjali Pathak who was a big hit in the Market Place demonstration kitchen said: “This is my fifth year at the Bolton Food & Drink Festival and I am delighted to be back , as its an opportunity to come back to my home town . The festival is growing year on year and provides a showcase for the market, local producers and local chefs.”

Anjali made caramelised lamb masala with spiced flatbreads  and for dessert she made sticky peaches with vanilla and lime cream. 


Two new features this year proved to be big hits - the children’s food and fun emporium at Crompton Place which provided a packed programme of entertainment, games and hands on food activities to entertain youngsters and live performances by local bands in the Beer Keller and the KRO Bar where Shandy South, the Dolly Birds and Our Fold were just a few of the bands who struck a chord with customers.

Free shows by performers including the Ski Band and the Bourbon Street Roof Raisers also entertained the crowds.

Coach parties came from the North East, Hull, Huddersfield, Wakefield, North Wales, Lancashire and Warrington. Teresa Wade from Hull said: “We came to the festival last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so came back again.  We want to come again next year and will be making it a regular fixture in our calendars.”

Alwyn Johnston, visiting the festival from Macclesfield Cheshire for the first time this year said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the day – the stalls, the demonstrations and tasting all the food.  And when we got to the market we couldn’t believe the quality and range of fruit and veg at such low prices. Everything’s been fabulous and I can’t wait to bring my friends next year”

Visitors even came from as far away as Australia. Tina and Dennis from Victoria in Australia said: “We are doing a three-week tour of the UK. We researched what was on and we saw the Bolton Food and Drink Festival and just had to come. It is excellent, we are enjoying it very much and the free parking is a bonus!”

Organisers have calculated that visitor figures reached nearly 130,000 over the four days, a big increase on last year’s figure of 102,000.  Councillor Cliff Morris, Leader of Bolton Council said: “We are delighted with the visitor figures at this year’s Festival, which show it has been a massive success. 
We have had great feedback from all the chefs who provided cooking demonstrations and the feedback from traders was really positive, with many of them having to call for extra stock as their stalls were so popular!

“Visitors to the Festival came from as far away as Hull, the North East, Essex and even Australia and all seemed to enjoy their visit, which has a really positive impact on the town. The children’s emporium, which was new this year was also really popular, with queues for all the activities. We’d like to thank everyone who took part in the festival, from the chefs to the traders and also all the visitors who came and made it an amazing success.”

To keep up to date with the latest festival news, log on to the website www.boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com, visit Facebook and search for Bolton Food and Drink Festival or search for #Boltonfoodfest on Twitter.

Big things are happening at Bolton Market...

The redevelopment works at Bolton Market are now well underway with £4.5million funding secured from the councils capital budget and planning approval granted at the end of last year. The scheme builds on the quality and strength of the market’s food offer with improvement works to the building including: replacing the roof on the fish market and also the eastern hall, which houses the non-food section, introducing additional indoor food stalls and a seating area in the eastern hall; and repairing the roof over the western hall which contains the fresh fruit and vegetable traders. Whilst the traders from the non-food section have been moved into a temporary market site on the outdoor market, the market’s popular fruit and veg section and the fish market are open for business as usual throughout the works to avoid any disruption to trade. The refurbished eastern hall will be fitted with multifunctional shop units which can be adjusted easily to accommodate any trader need. Further units have been fitted out to accommodate new food traders. Product lines in this section will include: beauty and fashion accessories; fashion clothing and textiles; household and hardware; food, leisure and sports goods. This is an exciting opportunity for new traders to come and be part of an award-winning market, which is one of the premier shopping destinations in the North West.

To express an interest contact us by email on bolton. markets@bolton.gov.uk or call 01204 336825.

Nabma News May 2013

We are almost at the starting line. Love Your Local Market 2013 will be launched at Portobello and Golborne Market on the 15th May 2013, when we will be looking to involve over 500 markets and provide an opportunity for up to 3000 new traders to try their hand at market trading.The enthusiasm for this year’s campaign has been evident at all the Roadshows we have held this year and, since the last edition of Market Trade News, we have taken Roadshows to Loughborough, Bolton, Horsham and Carmarthern and seen examples of some wonderful markets.All the planning is now complete and between the 15thand 29th May lets celebrate what is good about markets and why markets are such an important part of local communities. Next month I will be reflecting on the success of LYLM 2013 and providing some of the highlights from the fortnight.Of course, it is important that in celebrating LYLM 2013 we do not take our focus away from other important market issues. I am grateful to colleagues from Kettering who drew my attention to the Land Registry Practice Guide 18 on Franchises, which is relevant to all market operators who rely on Market Charters.I have written previously about the continuing importance of market rights and the role played by Market Charters in preserving such rights. Previously a Market Charter was not capable of separate registration. This changed in 2003 and it was possible, from that time, to voluntarily register Market Charters. While the situation remains the same in terms of voluntary registration in the context of the provisions of Practice Guide 18, if registration is not undertaken then there could be an impact on the status of a Market Charter.At the moment, if you have a Market Charter then the Charter creates an overriding interest which binds the owner of the land. So, for example, if you have a Market Charter which gives the right to hold a market in a particular location, then the owner of the land is required to make the land available for use as market on the days and the times specified in the Market Charter.Under Practice Guide 18, unless the Market Charter is registered by the 12th October 2013 then there will be a loss of their overriding status. What this means for markets that operate under a Market Charter is not entirely clear, but the provisions of Practice Guide 18 do not take away the right to hold a market under the Market Charter and if the market has been held in a particular location for many years, then it is assumed that rights to use the land have arisen in a variety of different ways through, for example, custom and practice and long user.Currently I am looking at the requirements of the registration process to see what needs to be done to ensure that Market Charters are fully protected. Full information will be provided to Nabma members shortly on this important issue, but any market operator using a Market Charter need to be aware of this important issue and seek advice on how it affects their particular market.We are just about to start on the Annual Survey of Retail Markets. Nabma has conducted this survey for the last two years and it has provided a very useful barometer of the state of the markets industry. Last year we had around 300 markets included in the survey. We are hoping that we can significantly increase that number this year. If you want to participate please let me know at nabma@nabma.com.Information on the results from the last two years can be found on the Nabma website at www.nabma.comReturning to Love Your Local Market, I want to express thanks to colleagues all round the country who have staged Roadshows and worked hard to promote LYLM 2013. When we started on the first LYLM campaign in 2012 we were keen to show that markets could play a significant role in helping revitalise the High Street. We have succeeded beyond expectations. If only the other elements of the Portas Review were as successful as LYLM then we would be looking at a very different prospect for the future of the High Street.Graham Wilson OBEChief ExecutiveNabma

National Association of British Market AuthoritiesThe Guildhall, Oswestry,Shropshire SY11 1PZ.Tel: 01691 680713

Email: nabma@nabma.com

 

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Development moves forward at Bolton Market

Work has begun on transforming the indoor market hall at Bolton Market as part of a £4.5 million redevelopment. Contractor Willmott Dixon has started to strip out the old market stalls within the East Hall, which was occupied by non-food traders. Work will also commence this week on refurbishing the hall’s roof. The internal work to strip out the stalls is expected to last around two weeks, while the roof refurbishment will take approximately 12 weeks. After the stalls are removed, preparation work will commence on replacing the internal roof lights. Externally, scaffolding has been erected around the hall to enable the replacement of roof tiles and waste will be disposed of in skips. Shoppers may notice increased activity around the East Hall as the works are taking place, but the market is operating as usual and there should be no disruption to traders. Traders from the non-food section of the indoor market moved in to temporary units on the outdoor market in February and are still offering the usual mix of footwear, bags, make-up, hair accessories, knitwear and electrical goods. 
Shoppers are being reassured that throughout the work the fruit and veg, the fish section of the market, and shops attached to the market will remain open for business. Other improvements that will take place to the market include: introducing additional indoor food stalls and a seating area; refurbishing the roof on the fish market; and repairing the roof over the hall which contains the fresh fruit and vegetable traders. 
Traders are expected to move back in the East Hall before Christmas, and work to the car park and servicing area will finish in 2014. The car park on Moor Lane will also be open as usual but the car park on New Street is no longer operational due to the construction work.
Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said: “Traders from the non-food section of the indoor market have been established in their temporary outdoor units for some weeks and the East Hall has been out of use during this time.
“Shoppers will start to notice more activity around the hall while the roof is being refurbished and the internal section is gutted. However, we would like to reiterate that the market is still open for business while the refurbishment is underway.”
Willmott Dixon was appointed as the main contractor for the project through the North West Construction Hub which aims to deliver a long-term collaborative approach to developments. Since being appointed, the company has held a successful sub-contractors’ open day which attracted interest from a number of local firms. They are currently in the process of appointing a range of sub-contractors for the project. Bolton Market opened in the 1930s and is one of Britain’s oldest food markets. The market has a growing reputation as the premier food market in the north of England, and it was also recently showcased on BBC Inside Out for a project that it runs on getting people to eat healthily. It has won a number of awards including Best Food Market in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2011; Best Indoor Market 2010; and Tourism Retailer of the Year 2009.  Up to three million people visit the market annually. The indoor and outdoor market is open Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. The car boot market is open Sunday, 7.30am to 2pm.
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Food festival line-up revealed

Britain’s favourite baking duo, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, are to return to the Bolton Food and Drink Festival.
The Great British Bake Off judges are back by popular demand after selling out their baking demonstrations and proving a hit at last year’s festival. This year’s four-day foodie spectacular will take place once again over the August Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday, August 23 to Monday, August 26.

Mary and Paul will perform their demos together on Saturday, August 24 in a dedicated marquee on Victoria Square. Mary said: “I received such a warm welcome from the people of Bolton last year that I was only too happy to return to the food and drink festival in August. “Everyone was so friendly and it was heartening to see so much interest in the art of baking.” Paul added: “I was very impressed with Bolton and in particular their award-winning market. “There was an abundance of fresh, local produce on offer and I am thrilled to be making a return visit. I look forward to seeing people at our demos.”

The festival, which attracted more than 102,000 visitors last year, will be launched by the two-Michelin starred chef Michael Caines on the Friday, and fellow festival favourite James Martin will take centre stage on Bank Holiday Monday, August 26. Sunday’s star attraction will be top Italian chef and restaurateur, Aldo Zilli. Specialising in Italian and vegetarian cuisine, Aldo founded his own chain of restaurants, has written more than 10 books and has appeared on numerous television shows. He has recently launched a new PR and marketing company, Zilli Media, and is currently Chef Consiliere to the award-winning San Carlo group, which includes restaurants in Manchester and London. Aldo said: “I’m really looking forward to coming to the Bolton Food and Drink Festival and cooking up some delicious Italian food. I’m passionate about fresh and local produce, so I can’t wait to see what Bolton has to offer.”

The Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris, said: “There is no doubt that the Bolton Food and Drink Festival is firmly on the map as one of the best events of this type, and it just gets better and better each year.

“Last year’s festival beat all previous records in terms of visitor numbers and we are determined to make this year’s event one to remember. The fabulous Michael Caines will launch the festival once again and we have firm favourite James Martin entertaining the crowds on Monday. “We were impressed with the impact Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry made on the audiences, so we were delighted they agreed to return again this year. And with the Italian flair of Aldo Zilli, the festival is bound to appeal to all tastes.”

More detailed information about the celebrity chef demos will be released soon and tickets will go on sale in May.

To keep up to date with the latest festival news, log on to the website www.boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com, visit Facebook and search for Bolton Food and Drink Festival or search for #boltonfoodfest on Twitter.

Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2013 is organised by Bolton Council and sponsored by Bolton College, Bluemantle, Crompton Place, The Market Place Shopping Centre and Stateside Foods.

Their partners this year are The Octagon Theatre, Kro Bar, the Marriott Worsley Park Hotel, Bolton Market, Harvey Nichols and The Albert Halls.

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