AN ANDOVER outdoor market has celebrated 75 years of being in the town this week.

On December 6, Market for All Seasons, held every Friday on Andover’s High Street, officially turned three-quarters of a century old.

The popular variety of stalls has had a very interesting history, from being launched by the Women’s Institute (WI) to its current form as an independent cooperative.

The market started in 1946 with the Andover WI branch wanting a market stall to sell local surplus produce.

The following year, it became WI Country Markets Ltd. and then, twenty years later in November 1967, the market moved to the Guildhall in the High Street.

On January 1 2005, WI Country Markets became known nationally as Country Markets Ltd. and the town’s market was known as Andover Country Market.

Then, on April 5 2013, Market For All Seasons was launched as an independent co-operative in order to sell an even wider range of goods including plants, knitting, crafts, and baking.

Sue Warren is the market’s secretary and sells plants at the weekly stalls. She is a third-generation marketer - following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother before her.

“I grew up with it being normal that Friday was market day. It’s amazing how long it’s gone on for.

“At one point, it turned around £80,000 a year! But we are more limited now, outside, and numbers have dropped quite considerably since the pandemic.

“It’s the original farmer’s market, the same idea, but all on one stall. People can make a little bit of cash from their hobbies, some like me have been here 30 years and there others who have just started. It’s amazing, though, after all these years how many people didn’t realise we were here!

“The cakes are the most popular, and the plants stall as well as they are all home-grown and if we say it’s hardy, it will be! It’s about supporting local, and getting something unique.

“I am not personally committing to another 75 years, but I do hope it will carry on!”

The market runs each Friday 10am to 2pm, but will take its annual winter break - with the final market of 2021 on Friday, December 17, and the first one back on February 4 2022.

For more information, search Market For All Seasons on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.