Weekly Message to Residents from the Mayor of Hailsham

In his latest message to the residents of Hailsham, Town Mayor and Chairman of Hailsham Town Council, Cllr Paul Holbrook, praises people for ‘shopping local’ in recent weeks and encourages everyone to support local traders at the recently reopened street market:

“While we still have a very long way to go in our ongoing battle with and recovery from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, it is clear that we are seeing some return to normality. Perhaps the most visible indicators of this are the increased easing of social distancing and lockdown restrictions, and the reopening of many local businesses in Hailsham.

As more and more businesses gradually reopen in Hailsham, I encourage people to shop local and ask residents to continue to buy local products and services to help our local economy get back on its feet.

It goes without saying that we should all try and resist the temptation to go further afield for shopping now that regulations are becoming more relaxed. In Hailsham, we are fortunate to have such a diverse range of shops and businesses – not just in the town centre but townwide. They all play a big part in the historic market town character of this town for those of us who live here – and equally, for the people who visit.

Our small businesses, as the backbone of the local economy, need the community’s support more than ever at this time to help them get back on their feet, preserve jobs in the long run and benefit everyone by boosting economic recovery.

We all have a part to play in Hailsham’s economic recovery and we can all start by continuing to buy goods and services locally.

As we slowly get back to normal as safely as possible, I am excited to hear that Hailsham Street Market reopened last Saturday, more than three months after closing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak meant that visits to the street market had to be cancelled from late March, due to the introduction of strict social distancing measures.

But as the country takes further steps on the route-map out of lockdown, many markets up and down the country have opened once again so they can showcase their local sourced produce, gifts and other items.

For the first few markets, there will be a limited number of stalls, but the number of traders attending should increase in the near future as more and more of them reopen for business.

Town Council staff, as organisers of the street market, have worked hard in recent weeks to bring back the market and taken steps to ensure that it is safe for shoppers and traders – and operate within the guidelines suggested by government agencies. The street market is carefully spaced out, with social distancing barriers in place where required and queuing systems in place at each stall.

By supporting local producers, growers, suppliers and offering them the opportunity to sell locally – markets are an ideal way of showcasing the diverse range of products available in Hailsham and I’d encourage people to come down to Vicarage Field and support independent trade.

In closing, I would like to thank the many groups, businesses and volunteers who are still working hard to offer help to those in need during the pandemic, which is by no means over. It is good to see the town slowly recovering from the lockdown and businesses putting social distancing measures in place and welcoming shoppers back.

I would like to thank each and everyone who is remaining vigilant and following all public health recommendations. Our town has to abide by all social distancing and hygiene rules so we can safely reopen while keeping everyone safe. If we see a big spike in COVID-19 cases in the future, it would have serious adverse effects on not only the health of our community, but be detrimental to the local economy too.

Thank you and stay safe everyone.”