Retiring market trader worried for stall owners
Peter GottA trader who worked in a market, which has now closed over safety fears, for 55 years has said he is worried about those still trying to run a stall in the town centre.
Peter Gott sold meat at Barrow Market, in Cumbria, until last month when the site closed over fears water could leak into parts of the building where asbestos was present.
He said he was still in shock about the indoor market's sudden closure, which has led to some sellers moving temporarily to the former fire station on Abbey Road.
"There's places in Barrow that would work, and I think that one will, but in the centre we need to have accessibility," he told BBC Cumbria.
"It's the people who want to carry on that I'm concerned for."
Gott is retiring from his stall at Barrow Market since September 1971, just two months after the late Queen Elizabeth II opened the site.
He said when he started out there were 5,000 shipbuilders who would "flood the market" on the way home and buy whatever was being sold.
"It was a grounding that I totally value now because at the end of the day, that's markets and if it's in your blood, it's in your blood, and I love it," he said.
Over the years, Gott has traded in several markets and was involved in the formation of London's famous Borough Market.
He also worked with chef Jamie Oliver, who he said became a "good friend", and helped train his chefs on his farm for 10 years.
"We had some fantastic times just learning about food that was produced in rural climes like Cumbria," he said.
"We were carcassing pigs, we were making sausages, we even were plucking chickens and pheasants."
Gott said the potential for a shipping container market, which often focus on fast food, bars and entertainment, could be good for Barrow town centre.
But he believes the loss of the indoor market will be detrimental to the local community.
"One time traders were always off a back of a lorry, a bit of dodgy gear, but actually now we're looked upon as the specialists, the people with the knowledge," he said.
"If somebody wants to know something about meat, they go to the market or the butcher.
"They literally are the authority on good food."
