Hitchin market team gets a shocking new addition

Hitchin Markets Manager Tony Howes said, “We are delighted that we will be here for another 5 years and we hope to continue to run a thriving market”.

In other news, Market users who end up fighting for life in Hitchin are in for a shock, with staff now having been trained by Maggie Hackney, who has an MBE for services to healthcare, market staff are now ready for action if someone has a heart attack in the market.

Training the team as part of the British Heart Foundation’s Heartstart initiative, Maggie also secured the market its own defibrillator as part of her efforts. Market manager Tony Howes said: “Hopefully we never have to use it, but if we have to it could save somebody’s life.

It’s not easy to learn but then it wasn’t hard either because Maggie is a very good trainer. “We all went round to Maggie’s house for a two-and-a-half hour training session on heart attacks and how to use the defibrillator. “There’s between 30 and 40 things we have to remember to do, like we have to try and wake them up first and make sure they aren’t wet. “Because of where we are and the older people within the market this defibrillator is vital.” He added: “What we are thinking of doing is offering use of it to market traders who want to be trained too. “What Maggie is doing is a wonderful thing and we are so grateful.”

“There’s between 30 and 40 things we have to remember to do, like we have to try and wake them up first and make sure they aren’t wet. Because of where we are and the older people within the market this defibrillator is vital.”

He added: “What we are thinking of doing is offering use of it to market traders who want to be trained too.

“What Maggie is doing is a wonderful thing and we are so grateful".

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Tributes are paid to ‘unique’ trader

Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to a “unique character” who died in February after nearly 50 years as a trader on Royston Market. John Sims, who was 73, died following a battle with leukaemia.  The Hitchin resident, who ran a kitchen supplies stall with his wife, June, was a well-known face in the town having been working on the market since 1964.

Fellow traders set up a book of condolences and left flowers on a stall in Market Hill the following week. Stallholder Anthony Whiteman said at the time: “He was a unique character and you don’t get many people in any walk of life who stay in one place for so long.

“The stallholders wanted to do something in his memory.  So many people have been coming up and signing the book or leaving flowers.  I’ve already taken one lot over to June and will be dropping some more off this week.”

Andy Tucker, of the fishmongers stall, said: “I’d known John since I was three years old.  He was a good mate and really one of the old school, you don’t get people like him anymore.

“He told it like it was and I think people appreciated that.  He’ll be sadly missed by everyone.”

Mrs Sims said her husband became a market trader because he wanted to be his own boss. She said: “He loved the freedom of it and we ran the stall together.  The market has changed a lot over the years, but he still really enjoyed what he was doing.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the weekend because he knew so many different people and we had a lot of regular customers.”

The couple have no children. Mr Sim’s funeral took place at Luton Crematorium on February 28th.