More than 12,000 people visited Caerphilly town over the weekend of December 12 and 13 to get in the festive modd with the Christmas Market.
Organiser Caerphilly County Borough Council said traders received excellent sales despite the poor weather conditions.
Santa’s Grotto was a huge hit with 280 children of all ages coming along to see Santa in his winter wonderland setting.
The Christmas Cwtch Marquee was also very well attended, with a number of visitors enjoying a packed programme of entertainment from talented artists and schools with a glass of hot mulled wine and cider.
Cllr Ken James Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Sustainable Development said: “I am delighted that Caerphilly Christmas Market has been such a huge success for yet another year. It was wonderful to see so many people of all ages enjoying the festive atmosphere that the market offers each and every year. Thank you to everyone who made the market such a huge success.”
This is one of the more worthwhile events that are staged. Many people enjoy the market and the remaining traders in town get a boost to their morale and their coffers. The only complaints I get from the public is that the prices are very high.
We did have a very successful and well attended rural market in Machen four times a year with many stall holders from the local area promoting themselves selling local produce and craft, the kind of stuff that can’t be found on the high street. The prices were very reasonable as stall holders were only charged a small fee for a pitch, it was also a great way of bringing the local community together. The market was set up and run by a group of volunteers including local doctors, teachers and business owners who willingly gave up their free time to put on this event purely for the benefit of the local community, now this local market has been stopped by Caerphilly Council because they will not allow the organisers the use of the very large free car park in Machen for just a few hours at the weekend for four times a year – yet they can hold a market on a pay and display car park whenever they like. This market encouraged ethical shopping, it promoted local produce, it promoted tourism, it helped small local producers grow their business, it brought the community together, but the miserable lot in Caerphilly Council are not interested all they wanted to do was shut it down.
Clearly the well intended volunteers from the community accepted what the council told them about not being able to user the Machen Car Park? Who made the decision in the council. was it officers or Councillors,? and there is a distinct difference in the way the community should deal with such a disgraceful situation, and if it was COUNCILLORS who decided that the car park would not be made avilable for the Village Market, get a few of your volunteers to stand in the next election in May 2017 against your sitting Village Councillors, and threaten thier £15,000 a year salary. extensive and generous expenses, and their over generous weekly pension pot contributions made on their behalf from the public purse, a nice little earner under threat. Nothing does the trick better to make them tow the line and do what the local electorate tell them to do. tell them you are going to do it, and watch the attitude of the council change.
Permission to use a section of the car park was given by a member of Caerphilly council car parks department, a number of well attended successful markets were held on the car park until there was one complaint from an individual ( there’s one in every village who can’t stand to see people doing something positive for the community ). Although many people visited the market, including local MPs and Councillors the head of car parks has now told the organisers that they must not use the car park again, and that permission was never granted in the first place although there is written proof from a member of the car parks department that it was given. It’s a sad loss for Machen and a typical reaction from a council who do not practice what they preach.
Paul, your are mixing up MEMBERS (COUNCILLORS) with OFFICERS.
In all case such as this your elected COUNCILLORS can and should make the decision on the use of the Car Park. If you and your community colleagues dont expect thier elected representatives to be held to account for what appears to be a stupid and spiteful decision by officers then you can expect to be walked over on this and other community issues,
The Caerphilly Council`s Highway department is out of public control, it is a disgraceful indictment of the CABINET member for HIGHWAYS that he allows the Tail to Wag The Dog, and the total lack of consultation with the public on issues effecting us all is a disgrace. It WILL change only when communities demand fair play FROM OUR ELECTED COUNCILLORS, until then OFFICERS will run riot over democracy in CAERPHILLY COUNCIL.
It is Clive Campbell who is Transportation Manager for Caerphilly Council who will not allow a market to be held on part of a free car park in Machen as he states that trading of any sort is forbidden on any , and every council owned car park within Caerphilly County without exception – The community council argued the case but still he refuses to allow a market to be held in Machen even though one is held on a council car park in the centre of Caerphilly.
I don’t think council officers have any choice in the case of Caerffili. The ‘carpark’ is in fact our ancient market place where markets and fairs have been held for centuries.
As ‘Triban’ says the answer is your borough councillors representing Machen. The council officers work under their direction, not the other way about. If there is a council ban on trading it is they who can overturn it.
There is in fact a legal preventative trading order covering the whole of the Twyn area, including the car park, this has been illegally curcumvented when the Council built the Visitor Centre within the confines of the land, and by the allowing consuming of alcohol inside the Twyn Community Centre, which as you will know Richard, is an old Church and is covered by temparence conditions, and, the extensive illegal use of the land by Cearphilly Council for open trading on market days and events in the town, the Council Highways department takes fees from all sorts of organisations to ply thier trade from this land, and the Council charge residents and others to park a car on it, (that initself is `trading`) all illegal activity but allowed to continue, yet, some jobsworth in the COUNCIL OFFICES, because nothing more than the mood takes him, can prevent the Machen Village Community following a perfectly reasonable activity for the benefit of that community, Where do your fellow Councillors stand on these issues do you think Richard?
I cannot speak for the other councillors, nor would presume to do so. My own view is that a community market is a perfectly legitimate activity in the Machen carpark. You are quite right about Caerffili market triangle (or carpark) apart perhaps from the point of view of selling alcohol. Such restrictions probably ended when the congregation of Twyn Chapel gave up the land.
I note that there are often promotional stalls set up in the area, selling anything from TV packages to insurance. Presumably the council charges a fee? The dubious use of the market area is that by the council; charging people to park there. I have long campaigned for free use of this area.
This officer is incorrect of course, just look at the way the Council utilise `our` Twyn Car Park, markets fairgrounds, advertising Sky Television Talk Talk and army recrutment, look at the way the Council allow the Crescent Road Car Park for use by Film Production Companies for accommodating catering and storage of equipment, for the residential homes of actors and production staff.
So to victimise Machen Village Community occassional market by an officer of the Council on what appears to be incorrect grounds is a matter for Machen Councillors to straighten out on behald of the people they represent. Go knocking on thier doors, give them an opportunity to do the job they were elected to do and represent the people they were elected to represnt, , but there again who is the most powerful, The Community, The elected Councillors, or ONE officer of the CAERPHILLY COUNCIL HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT. The only way to find out is hold Machen Councillors to account.
12.000? who counted them ? there were NOTHING like as many people as this attending this second rate street market. Bessemer Road and Splott Market get more people than this attending EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR.