A NEW street market was launched in York in an attempt to increase footfall in an area of the city.

The Acomb Market was held for the first time on Friday, and saw scores of people visit stalls from around the region.

Councillor Andrew Waller said he believed the market was the first of many similar events to come and the next had already been lined up to take place next month.

He said: “It was very successful. The public went along and saw the stalls and it was something different to have in Acomb and I think people appreciated that.”

The market started life as a suggestion from Acomb Alive, an organisation set up in 2011 to increase community pride and spirit in the area, which locals and businesses felt had become run-down and unpopular with shoppers in recent years.

Organisers said the first market had been successful enough to ensure the date for the next market could be set for Saturday, July 23, where some indoor stalls are also expected to be held.

Sue Hunter runs Floral Elegance and is chair of Acomb Alive. She said traders had been brought to the first event from across Yorkshire, but she hoped more local traders would take part in future events.

She said: “We worked with Make It York and Market Managers, who put up the gazebos and brought the stallholders with them. Next time we will have indoor stalls in Gateway and we hope they will be local traders. When we run the Christmas Fair we have quite a few local people come to that, and we’re still taking bookings to make sure no-one misses out.

“It was fabulous, we have had a lot of very, very good comments. It all seems to have been very positive. The bread stall and the cake stall both sold out, and the next day people were still saying this is what Acomb has been needing. We’re expecting far more stalls at the next one, now we’ve got the first one out of the way.”

Cllr Waller said: “The next one will be larger and there will be an indoor section, so this was a good start. Speaking to the stallholders and traders they were happy and they had done a lot of business, so it’s looking good for the area.”