Traders move into new market units amid renovation

Traders in Wellington Market have moved into their new units, as work on the 13th Century site continues.

A share of £12m given by the government for the town is funding the improvements, which include renovations to neglected buildings, layout redesigns and changes to the covered outdoor events space and food court.

The market has been running for more than 780 years and is home to more than 50 shops, with nine traders now situated in their new stalls as part of the first phase of movement.

"When they moved me from my normal pitch to my temporary pitch, I was a bit dubious - but I haven't noticed a drop in sales, in fact, Christmas was really good for us," said Maria Tonks.

She moved to Telford in 2020 and has been running her stall for just over five years, selling a products including crystals, 3D printing, homemade crafts and wood burning.

She was in her temporary stall for about six months.

"Even though we're moving and it's taken us over a week to shift everything and put it out, I'm still getting people coming in, and it's not hit us very much," she told the BBC.

"It's been a bit hectic over the last couple of months though.

"I couldn't make anything fit... but we're on the last leg now."

She said her stall had not moved much from its original location, and it was made sure she had space for her customers to use it as a safe space as well.

"The traders are wonderful, most of my customers are special needs and such forth, but we have such a laugh, and I have people that if they don't come into Wellington Market, they don't come out."

Remi Singh has been in the market for nine years, and runs a stall called iRepair, which fixes devices like phones and laptops.

He said the move to the temporary stall had affected trade, but in his new location it had been much more positive.

"I thought I would have hardly any trade, but with the move, I got to see new customers as well, customers that didn't even know I was in the market," he said.

"For the change, it's worth it to be honest.

"The new stall is amazing," he said, "better than what I expected... it makes my business stand out even more."

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