The market manager and council have worked together really hard to make the market safe. The one-way system is working fine. At the end of the day It’s an outdoor market. Everything has been put in process and the vast majority of people are adhering to social distancing. If the market was to change location it would kill the market. Other towns have moved markets and they’ve just died. Keswick has one of the best outdoor markets in the country. It would be a shame.
Nicole Whitaker, who runs a jewellery stall
I feel very aggrieved about Allerdale council having to limit the number of stalls. I’ve had to get rid of two stalls and move down to a 10ft stall. I’m now making one fifth of what I usually would and have had to stop two members of staff from coming to work. With the cost of fuel and the £10 a day parking charge in Keswick, I am now losing money.
Ron Sedgewick has run the binoculars stall at the market for 14 years
It was a nightmare during lockdown. We came back to support the market and didn’t take any money for three weeks. We wanted to support the town because we believe in the market. I was amazed and gobsmacked a the first petition. I think the person who made the petition is a lone wolf. To put something together which is doing so much damage to the market is disgusting. We have lost a third of our stock and will be looking at redundancies. The council has my full support. We are taking all extra measures and have added a hand washing station. To close the market would be wrong.
Adam Cooper, 49, is the owner of the Wild Extreme pet stall
I take immunosuppressants and I’m not worried about being at the market. It was fine before the new measures were introduced. The problem is people with no common sense who do not follow the one way system. This market is my main income. Are the people signing the petition to close the market going to pay my rent and bills? I have a baby on the way.They should close pubs and B&Bs if they are worried. That’s what brings in the tourists.
Harry Machin, 29, of Harry’s Market Kitchen
It’s a good thing the market is open and it has been better today with the signs for the one-way system. Do I think the market is safe? No it isn’t. But you can manage risk. It would be better if stalls were more spread out and people should wear masks. But for the sake of businesses, I am deeply against the petition to close the market.
Ben Purkiss, 49, of Main Street, runs the Currency Exchange
It feels a bit sketchy being here. Lots of people are not wearing masks. At times people are at too close a proximity. If they were in a shop they wouldn’t stand this close together, and they’re not wearing masks.
Sam Campion, 18, of Keswick town centre
I don’t feel safe at all in Keswick, especially on a Thursday. The market is not being manned right. People are just wearing face masks while cameras are here. It is just for show. I am a big believer that pubs and markets should have stayed shut until September. Yes it’s hard for the economy, but lives come before anything else.
Paul Atherton, 56, of Coleridge Court
The market has been better with the one-way system and more stewards around. But I do think social distancing is almost impossible to enforce. It’s disconcerting that not everyone is wearing a mask. It might be better if market stalls were spread down Lake Road or on to Derwent Close. The streets are so narrow in Keswick that it doesn’t take much to be too close to someone.
Michael Pelc, 61, of Keswick
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