Visitors to South Shields riverside can explore a wealth of distinctive goods and gifts this Sunday (5 June) at the next Harton Quays Park Craft Market of the summer season.
A variety of local artists and craftspeople will be selling a selection of handcrafted and unusual products which cannot be found on the high street.
The next will take place between 10.30pm and 3pm at Harton Quays Park with stalls selling everything fromsweet treats and local produce to handmade jewellery, organic beauty products and bespoke homeware.
Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council with responsibility for Culture and Leisure, said: “The craft markets are a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase and support a wealth of talented local traders and creators, as well as to offer visitors the chance to browse through the wide range of stalls and buy some unique goods and gifts.
“It was a pleasure to see so many people enjoying the great range of products on offer at our first craft market of the summer. We look forward to welcoming more visitors to the second event this weekend, which is when our South Tyneside Festival programme of events gets underway with free live music and brass bands playing at South Shields seafront.”
The markets will continue to run on the first Sunday of every month until September (Sundays 5 June, 3 July,7 August and 4 September).
One trader at the market this weekend is Pallet Earth who specialise in creating unique handmade homeware and garden furniture from reclaimed wood. The brand has a strong belief in upcycling wooden products and preserving the wood’s character while giving it a new lease of life.
Company owner David Revett, who is passionate about the products his company creates and the ethos behind them, said: “This is the first year we are attending the Harton Quays Park Summer Park Craft Markets. We are really looking forward to showing off what can be created with recycled wood at this wonderful event.
“All of our products are created entirely from reclaimed timber and range from furniture through to small decorative items including bird boxes and artwork painted by our artists onto recycled wood.
“The fabulous riverside setting and the commitment to the environment through the involvement of Groundwork STAN are the key attractions to us and we’d are proud to be involved with the craft markets.”
The Harton Quays Park Summer Craft Markets are being delivered in a partnership between South Tyneside Council and ‘changing places, changing lives’ environmental charity Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle.
Andrew Watts, Executive Director of Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle, said: “These annual craft markets are a real highlight of the South Tyneside Festival of events. They draw people into the Borough and give hugely talented arts and crafts makers the perfect platform to display and sell their products.
“The markets are set in a visually stunning and interesting location, which adds to their appeal and has helped make them a huge success in previous years. It is a wonderful that we are welcoming back over 60 North East businesses, a sure sign of their popularity.
“Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle is again delighted to be playing its part in organising and running the markets. They have been very well supported by the people of South Tyneside and the North East as a whole, and I know they will prove a real draw this year too.”
The Harton Quays Park Craft Markets is just one of the highlights of this year’s South Tyneside Festival extensive programme of events, activities and entertainment for all the family to enjoy.
For further information about the Harton Quays Park Craft Markets, and further information about the stall holders on the day, or full South Tyneside Festival programme of events go to www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk. Alternatively, people can follow the Council’s social media sites at www.facebook/southtynesideevents or www.twitter.com/STynesideEvents