Bumper Christmas Market at Kelham Island for anniversary year

A trio of anniversaries put on the pressure for this year's Victorian Christmas Market at Kelham Island Museum to be the best ever. Last year the market drew in an incredible 16,000 visitors over two days, but the event's organisers were not content to rest on their laurels, adding in even more stalls and activities for visitors keen to get a bit Christmassy at the beginning of Advent.

This year Kelham Island Museum celebrated its 30th anniversary, and also the 20th anniversary of its increasingly popular Christmas Market. However for a Victorian-themed event it was the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth that really set the mood for the event. The major new attraction to the market this year was the 'Dickensian Emporium' quarter located in Kelham Square, an addition that managed to squeeze in an incredible 50 new stalls. Not only this, but as usual all stall-holders were turned out in Victorian-dress, and 'Dickensian Folk' perused the market alongside the public.

The market aims to spread a bit of Christmas cheer each year with a whole host of activities to get visitors in a festive mood. This year children were given the chance to meet Santa at 'Santa HQ' and watch Punch and Judy shows, there were traditional craft and skills demonstrations, and also frequent main stage performances by local brass bands and choirs, who filled the air with classic Christmas music.

It is however the market itself, with its countless stalls stretching in and around the museum, that is always the main attraction for visitors. Christmas gift shopping is made easy with so much variety, and many products are handmade locally by the stall-holders themselves. One such stall-holder is Jill Govier, a local woman whose business 'Touchy Feely Textiles' is going from strength to strength.

Jill set up her business in 2010 and runs stalls at various different fairs and markets. Her passion is "remodelling and recycling gorgeous old bits and bobs" and making handmade textile pieces from them, putting famous quotes or charming messages on them. This year Jill had a stall at Kelham Island's Christmas Market and for her it's the perfect way to raise awareness of her brand:

"From a stall-holder's point of view the Christmas market was a brilliant opportunity to meet my customers face to face. I work very much on my own for lots of the time, and although supplying shops with my things is good from a business point of view it means I don't get much customer contact\".

Having a presence at markets and fairs like Kelham Island's isn't just important for boosting the Christmas sales of Touchy Feely Textiles; it also indirectly strengthens the brand through the feedback Jill receives.

"Market stalls are great for this! I get a kick when I see people smiling about something when they've just read some of my quotes. I also take on board any criticism and suggestions that arise."

However Touchy Feely Textiles is just one of many small businesses exhibiting at Kelham Island's Christmas Market and this really highlights the hugely positive impact the event can have for local craftspeople. Just being part of the event gets them exposure, whether that's from the promotional work the museum does to encourage visitors or its Twitter feed linking to their websites, and then when the big weekend finally does roll around, there are thousands of potential customers constantly walking past your stall to entice.

by Alex Moore