THE biggest market day to take place in a Flintshire town for 30 years has marked its official relaunch to the delight of traders and customers.

Holywell Community Market took over the towns High Street area on Thursday for its official relaunch with almost 30 different stalls – ranging from clothes and crafts to food and drink provided by independent traders.

Supporting customers and traders was Kassidy’s Tea Room, based on the High Street, were offering free hot drinks for people who purchased anything on the market. Stall holders were also supported with drinks.

Holywell’s deputy mayor, Cllr Lynda Carter, has been championing the markets relaunch for many months and relaunched a stall of her own offering recycled school uniforms.

She said: “It is great to see people enjoying what our market has to offer and is hopefully a sign of things to come in the future.

“These days, people want a shopping experience and high streets and markets, working together, can create that.

“This will be good for people who are socially isolated as well - it’s all about getting people together in the streets and having that friendly banter. That is something a big retail park does not offer.

Cllr Carter’s stall returned to the market offering uniforms from schools in the Holywell area that had been donated

The idea for the stall came to the deputy mayor after learning of a survey completed by the Department for Education in August which found that parents were spending an average of £230 per pupil on uniforms – and that is without their PE kit.

The town councillor planned to make use of the weekly market as a platform to draw people in the town centre and set up her stall to help alleviate the rising costs on families.

The stall offers a selection of uniforms that were donated from people who had children that have outgrown the clothing but did not want to waste them.

Customers could choose to give a donation which she said would go back to benefit local schools every time £100 was raised – with the most recent school to benefit being St Winefride’s Primary School.

Also offering something different for the relaunch was Daniel Thomas, a local personal trainer that offered a free outdoor exercise class for the occasion.

Whilst at the market, he set about fundraising for a project to see outdoor gym equipment installed in the town.

He told the Leader: “As a personal trainer, I believe that exercising is the best form of medication dealing from obesity to mental health.

“Through my experience of training clients outdoors, and seeing people trying to improve the local community, I thought that a free outdoor gym facility would be a great addition towards improving people lives for the better in our town.

“It can also help people who may not be able to afford a gym membership but wants to train. The whole family can train together, young to old can use it.”

He adds that he would not have made the career change from joinery to personal training if not for the birth of his son – Albie Junior.

He said: “I would not have become a personal trainer without my son being born, he is my hero and why I want to make a difference.

The father-of-two will continue to raise funds to reach his target of £10,000 by completing several running challenges including the ‘Race Across Scotland’ – a 215-mile ultra marathon taking place in August.

Another person making a difference at the market relaunch day was David Lea, a shop owner on the High Street who wore

In total, he raised more than £480 after being challenged to wear crocheted shorts for the duration of the day.

Holywell Community Market takes place every Thursday on the town’s High Street from 9am until 3pm.