How Freeman Street Market were shortlisted for The Great British High Street Awards 2019.

Freeman Street Market has been at the heart of Grimsby for over 140 years. Over these years Freeman Street Market has been faced with many hurdles including, the demise of the fishing industry, the dominance of supermarkets and the demolition of the high-rise flats.

Despite this Freeman Street Market is still thriving with a community built from small businesses, food vendors and loyal customers. After recent successes, winning Love Your Local Market Twitter Champions and Champion of Best Market Guests, 2019 (#LYLM2019), this and many other initiatives resulted in us being nominated for The Great British High Street Awards for ‘Rising Star High Street’ 2019, with a centre page featured in the Daily Mirror. Although we did not win, this was a great achievement not just for Freeman Street Market but for Grimsby, to recognise the fantastic efforts of the community in creating a thriving high street built on small, local businesses.

We launched our very own ‘Food Court’ in summer 2019, opening 5 days a week, with a brand-new seating area with free wifi and many different and unique styles of street foods to enjoy, which successfully launched on the 3rd August 2019. The food court includes Greek food, American style chicken, German sausage and much more including sweet treats and delicious drinks too. Customers now have a choice of 9 fabulous eateries on our market 5 days a week and a whopping 15 unique food and drink stalls on our regular market days (Tuesdays, Fridays & Saturdays) every one with 5 stars hygiene rating.

In 2010 the Market had undergone a drastic transformation and it now has the facilities to use for cooking demonstrations, performing song/dance, food festivals, craft fairs, fashion shows, art exhibitions and more. We utilise all these areas, showcasing artwork from schools and local artists, hosting free family events, accommodating local musicians and much more.