Success of NeighbourFood Newark sees second market open at South Clifton Coronation Hall

A scheme that lets customers buy from premium producers and suppliers in one place is getting busier by the week ­— and a second base has now been set up.

The original collection point, at Carriages Café in Newark, has had its most successful week since launching in July, and the latest one is helping villagers get supplies from their community hall.

NeighbourFood Newark is an online platform that enables consumers to buy direct from local producers.

Similar schemes are running in other parts of the country, including Nottingham.

Wendy Baird, who owns Carriages, and friend Leisa Pickles, who has a business supporting food and drink producers, worked together to set up the Newark scheme.

Customers register at www.neighbourfood.co.uk/Newark and order their groceries from home.

Once a week, the suppliers take all their orders to Carriages, where customers can collect them.

Orders need to be placed before midnight on the Wednesday before.

Each customer’s order will be collated ready for them to collect every Friday from Carriages or South Clifton Coronation Hall.

Leisa said the hall committee got in touch about being a collection point because the village had no shop.

“It has been really well received because it is so convenient for them,” she said.

The scheme now offers more than 600 products from 21 producers and suppliers, with products including bread, meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables, cheese, eggs, honey, chocolates, wine, preserves, gifts, and seasonal items such as game and Christmas food.

There is a minimum spend of £5, but Leisa said regular customers were now spending an average of £40.

Customers sign up to the scheme and place orders online. Suppliers deliver their products to Carriages once a week, where they are sorted and packed into crates for individual customers.

Wendy and Leisa hope suppliers will be able to meet their customers in person when covid restrictions lift.

“Some have been with us from the start and it would be nice for them to share some feedback,” Leisa said.