Ford's Sunday market celebrates 20 years

They enjoyed a birthday atmosphere with balloons, a Royal British Legion band playing, two fairground rides and other attractions for the anniversary.

Shirley Abbott, one of two farmers who own the market site, said: "It was an absolutely perfect day. We were lucky with the weather and there was a real buzz about the market.

"The market still offers brilliant value for money. With the present credit crunch, it has an even more important role to play.

"The traders cover all the everyday needs from food, meat, vegetables and fruit, groceries, clothes, furnishings, toys, pet needs, key cutting and almost everything else you can think of.

"As we go into the next 20 years, in the words of Tom Malpass, who helped to start the market '“ Ford Market has hundreds of stalls and thousands of bargains."

Some of the 100-plus regular traders have been ever-present since the opening.

Mr Malpass, of Enterprise Markets Ltd, joined forces with the two farmers at Ford Airfield to launch the market after a drink in a pub with them.

They spent two years getting planning permission for the venture.

They opened in November, 1988 with comedian Bernie Winters and his Saint Bernard dog, Snorbitz, performing the honours.

To get round the then ban on Sunday trading, the market opened as a club with a 10p weekly membership fee.

One of the operators' first jobs was to plant a hedge around the trading area to offer shelter to the stallholders from the weather.

That windbreak has worked so successfully that the market has closed on only three occasions because of gale-force winds.

Improvements over the years have included a brick-built toilet block and offices which were opened in 1999.

Among the other changes was the death of Mr Malpass in 2002. He was succeeded by his manager, Gary Brown, to ensure a seamless transfer.

Expansion has also taken place into car boot sales on a Saturday and, more recently, a Thursday. Both are regularly full up with some 200 sellers. A farmers' market is also held on Saturday mornings.

Highlights of the past 20 years have included a visit from a Russian delegation wanting to see a real English market, the Bishop of Horsham, the Rev Lindsay Urwin, holding an open-air service there and the Wombles going along for the tenth anniversary.

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