Shepton Mallet Revival CIC, trading as The Shepton Experience, is a ‘not for profit’ community interest company. This has been set up by a group of Shepton Mallet residents who feel passionate about engaging with the community and wish to see the continued improvement in the community spirit in Shepton Mallet grow further.
Initially we wished to establish a monthly market event on the last Sunday of each month, which would be attractive for the town and surrounding area residents to attend. Unfortunately, no one could have foreseen Covid-19. Therefore, based on the information we had at the time and the uncertainty of a second wave in the winter months the difficult decision was taken to suspend the markets for the remainder of 2020, with the hope that the situation would improve, and the markets would restart again in March 2021. It was extremely disappointing especially after all the hard work that everyone had put in to getting the market up and running initially but we felt it was the most sensible decision given the circumstances.
We were lucky to have been able to run two very successful markets, one in November and the other in December 2019. We kicked off the launch of the new independent market with ‘Shepton’s Christmas’. We fulfilled all our promises and provided the community with all things Shepton and Festive. There was live music from local bands to entertain, the chance to meet Father Christmas and lots of stalls selling wonderful items for all tastes and budgets, this was complimented with lots of shops and cafes open in town to support the event. Our second successful market was a ‘Victorian Fayre’. This had the same elements of the previous market with the bonus of a fancy-dress competition, a stilt walker and circus games. Both markets drew in approximately 2.000 visitors from the Shepton Mallet community and the surrounding area. All businesses involved had very successful trade on both occasions.
The Shepton Experience continues to strive to be ‘not just a market’ but a monthly event incorporating live music, DJ’s, street performances, themed attractions, and fun competitions. The market events will run on the last Sunday of the month, open to the public from 10am - 3pm, from March through to November with an additional special event. This will coincide with the weekend event of the Lantern Parade on the appropriate Sunday in December.
Other activities will include community led events to encourage residents to be proud of the town and build on its history and community spirit.
The continued success of the market is reliant on the support of the local and surrounding community. Come and experience the hustle and bustle of a traditional town market.
We welcome all independent traders including arts and crafts, fresh produce, hot food, designer-makers and suitcase traders but spaces are limited so please ensure you get yourApplication Formin as soon as possible.
We also welcome local musicians and performers to attend these events and request that any interested parties complete thePerformer Application Formin thePerformsection.
we need your help
We are always looking for volunteers, so if you would like to be involved in the market in any way, eg: distributing flyers, putting up banners or posters, stewarding or first aid duties, please Contactus.
FEEDBACK SO FAR:
- "It was a great day! Met loads of lovely people and the music was great." Janet Mills, market trader
- "Lovely event with a great atmosphere, well done to everyone involved x" Su Stewart
- "It was a lovely day - enjoyed all it has to offer and the positive atmosphere. Thank you to everyone involved in all kinds of ways you are all doing a great job!" Jan Height
- "Fabulous day, well done to everyone involved." Ali's Homemade Produce, market trader
- "You have certainly made me feel proud of our Shepton Mallet community again. Thank you for all your very hard work. Xxx" Karen Mercer, owner of My Coffee Stop
- "Great atmosphere at the Victorian Fayre in #SheptonMallet today with lots of people in #vintagecostume. Here's to #2020 and continued success!" Mark Adler @ The Mendip Times
- "It was a perfect day! Great atmosphere lovely friendly fellow traders and customers . Jude was funny and full of life will definitely be returning in Feb xx" Sarah Price, market trader
- "Well done to all the team involved in today's amazing market. The town was busy and buzzing and I loved it" Emma Chandler
- "It was a brilliant day! My second best day in the shop." Helen Reader, owner of The Fairy Godmother Shop
- "We had a lovely time and met some fantastic people. Looking forward to seeing everyone in December." Rose Steele, market trader
- "Lovely stalls, friendly atmosphere and huge amount of gifts to buy xx" Monica Cock
- "Fab event." Sarah Bovey
- "Was a great day, lovely atmosphere, lots going on, fab stalls and shops." Jo Monroe
- "We had a fabulous day, thank you for organising such a brilliant event!" Karen Waldron, market trader