Hyndburn Borough Council’s Accrington Market Trail has been hailed a resounding success after generating more than 1,500 shop visits throughout the Easter holidays, bringing a vibrant influx of families and new customers into the town centre.
Designed to engage younger visitors, the trail challenged children under 12 to visit 15 participating market cabins to collect special letter stamps.
Once all the letters were gathered, including a secret letter hidden at Accrington DOME, participants completed a market-themed anagram before submitting their entries. Each child received a free Easter egg courtesy of Hyndburn Borough Council, with more than 200 initially distributed and additional supplies brought in to meet overwhelming demand.
The initiative not only encouraged exploration of the market but also introduced many visitors to independent traders for the first time. Business owners reported a noticeable increase in footfall and were particularly encouraged by the number of new faces taking part.
As part of the trail, all completed entries were entered into a prize draw, with three winners now announced. Mikaeel Sabir won a giant chocolate egg, Scarlett Carter received a giant Easter bunny soft toy, and Harvey Furness secured a £25 voucher for Accrington Market.
The Market Trail formed part of a wider programme of Easter events, including two popular free fairground rides on Easter Saturday, which attracted large crowds and added to the festive atmosphere in the town. The same day also featured fully booked Easter bonnet-making workshops held in one of the market pods, where children decorated their creations before taking home a free Easter egg.
Kirsten Burnett from Hyndburn Borough Council said: “It was brilliant to see so many new faces visiting the Accrington Market cabins and we hope that families will keep returning to shop here. The success of the Easter activities shows just how important events like this are in bringing people into the town and supporting our local businesses.”
Local traders were quick to praise the initiative. The owners of Pet Mart said: “There was a really good atmosphere and everyone was really happy. It was good to see and worth doing for the customers of the future.”
Meanwhile, the owner of Illusion Ladies Wear said: “It brought the market to life. There was lots of people and younger families taking part, as well as lots attending the fairground rides.”
Steve Bramwell, Co-Owner of Bramwells, said: “The children loved taking part and they were very polite. It was a really good thing to do, and it was great to see the kids and their parents.”
Other local businesses taking part commented on the buzz that it gave the market, how polite the children were and how lots of people now know about the market cabins, when previously they did not know where they were.
Funding for this event has been provided by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
