WORKERS in a popular Welsh indoor market say they are still going strong this year despite speculation and “unfortunate rumours” that they could be closing down.
Neath General Market has been open at its location on Green Street in Neath town centre since 1837, and can be found in the traditional Grade II listed market building with a wide range of shops, businesses, and local characters that some say are at the very heart of the area.
It is a welcoming place that almost everyone in the town has been to at some point over the years with a current crop of stalls that include butchers, cafés, hair dressers and nail salons, as well as a model shop, green grocers, and many other craft stalls.
However, rumours of the site’s closure came to a head earlier this year when the local MS Sioned Williams wrote a letter of concern to Neath Port Talbot Council, who responded by saying this speculation was unfounded and “totally incorrect”. The authority has stressed the importance of Neath Market to their current and future regeneration proposals.
Stall-holders say while they acknowledge the difficult times that are currently being felt across the country with a cost of living crisis, as well as locally with the pressure of job losses from the nearby Port Talbot steelworks, they now want to move past the negativity and focus on improving what they describe as a vibrant and popular place.
Mandy Gunter has run her craft stall at Neath Market for over twenty years and said the dismissal of rumours that the market may close down had come as a huge relief to everyone in the building.
She said: “This is more than a job to us. We are all invested in the building, the entire structure and of course in keeping the uniqueness of it. It’s very important to the town and I think it is one of the most iconic buildings in Neath. It needs to keep going. It was built by the people of Neath for the people of Neath so it really has got a massive importance to the town centre.
“I think most of us have felt the impact of Port Talbot Steel works closing – but when you’re self-employed you always live in hope so we all keep on fighting because as I said this is not only a business.
“I have customers that have been coming to me for 20 years and it’s like a community centre as well. They call in to have a chat even if they don’t buy anything, and it’s all very much of a community spirit in here.”
Jess Beer, 27, also runs a stall and added: “It’s really important, it is Neath, it’s the centre of Neath, and if the market goes it will all go I think. It’s a battle at times but everyone here is really positive and we seem to be doing better.”
Claire Beck owns a florist in the market and said: “We have so much to offer everybody around here, it’s something that’s been here for so many years, especially the elderly now who don’t have cars to go outside of town.”
Claire added that in terms of improving the market’s footfall in the future she would like to see more events brought to the town centre in order to attract more people.
She added: “I think events are key to bringing people in to the town and I think once a month we should have something going on that brings people in, like the food festival and music festivals.”
Bernard Presgrave says he has worked in shops and markets all over the world from Pakistan to Japan during his lifetime, though after more than 40 years in business he now makes a living from his rug stall in Neath Market.
He said: “This is very important for the town, for both economic reasons and personally for myself as it’s my livelihood. The good thing about a market like this is that we have the best customer service that you might not get in other places and we make competitive prices as well.
“For me the best way to improve footfall is to attract the younger generation to open up businesses so they can get a feel for what it’s like. Perhaps we could do this with schemes that reduce rents to the stalls, or by giving them a rolling contract, then if it doesn’t work out they can close. Free parking and more advertising are other things that could help us as well. ”
Ben Rae of Neath Abbey has recently opened the Goblin Box hobby gaming store in the market where he sells war gaming and scale model kits, and says as a young business owner it is a great place.
Speaking of opening his stall he said: “So far it’s been great. I’ve had a very positive response from the community, and I think people are glad to see something new and different, especially our modelling community.
“It’s just a great spot. I always came to the market when I was younger, and they offer very good rates so that helps a lot for smaller businesses like myself. It can be a bit quiet but we need to build it back up and I want to be part of the group that does that.”
Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Member of Senedd for South Wales West is based in her office just metres away from Neath Market and said: “Our market is not only historically significant, but its importance in attracting footfall to the town centre is more crucial than ever.”
She added: “Neath Market is at the heart of Neath and should be the jewel in the crown of our town centre. I shop there on a weekly basis, and from my recent survey into the future of Neath Town Centre, which had 400 responses, I know that both local people and visitors to the town value it too.
“That’s why it was so important to seek reassurance from the council that they are prioritising the market in their plans for the town centre, that they are exploring every opportunity for grant funding to update its appearance, and that they are doing all they can to promote our wonderful market to potential new customers and traders alike.”
A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesperson said: “The council understands the serious issues currently facing all town centres in Wales and the UK and is working on a specific set of measures for the market and has held a meeting with the market stallholders this week to discuss these.
“The market is an extremely important part of the shopping mix in Neath and we are working hard to ensure that remains the case. As a Grade II listed building it is in itself an attraction to the town of Neath. The Victorian indoor market is one of the few markets of its kind left in Wales, being housed in a building that dates back to 1837, the year Queen Victoria began her reign.”
