Traders in Newton Abbot's historic pannier market are set to spell out their support for this weekend's three-day continental market with a special prize competition.
From 8.30am tomorrow, producers from across Europe are due to start trading from an array of stalls in Bank Street and Wolborough Street and hundreds of Teignbridge food lovers are expected to sample and buy a host of tempting goodies. To join in with the festivities the town's traders are throwing open their own market hall on Sunday and offering shoppers the chance to win vouchers. 'The competition will be free to enter and will involve some detective work, although it won't be quite as tough as either a Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Clouseau case,' said the chairman of Newton Abbot Market Traders' Association, Ron Southcombe. 'We will take the letters – which comprise the word EUROPEAN – print them off singly and leave them partially hidden on various stalls dotted round the market. 'Some might be outside, some in the food hall, and our shoppers will have to identify where they've found them.' Entry forms are available both in this newspaper and throughout the market all weekend. The first five correct entries drawn on Monday can be exchanged for a £20 voucher to spend in the market. Other attractions organised by the town's market traders include a live battle-of-the-bands featuring players from the district's schools, the best of which will receive a cup. The schools have also been offered stalls of their own to raise funds for themselves or their chosen charities. Free parking will be available in the town centre on Sunday. Among the visiting traders will be Spanish paella chefs, Belgian chocolate makers, and Dutch bulb and plant specialists.