click to enlarge

A 2/3rds grant of £4000 from Somerset County Council has helped us to do something that we have been trying to do for the past three years. Until now, Somerset Farmers’ Markets identity has been vague and we needed some simple visual image on which we could hang our values. The cockerel supplied by Martin Pook has served us very well - for which, many thanks Martin - but the time had come to send it to the great hen house in the sky.

We employed an agent, who found a designer. It seemed to take an age and about 20 rejected offerings before we decided on the red heart. The money slipped away with alarming speed but isn’t that always the way? However the result is excellent. The red heart can be interpreted to mean good health or it might bring to mind the ‘I love’ stickers seen on the back of cars. Of course some people do not think it is a heart! The strawberry growers think it is a strawberry, the apple growers think it is an apple and growers of peppers, and raspberries think it looks familiar. Red is a colour that makes a strong impact for the few seconds that most people look at it.

The wording that goes with it is used in the same style for both the Markets and the Delivery scheme. We use the title Somerset Local Food Direct for the latter, to reflect the wider range of local produce supplied. Twenty thousand market dates leaflets have been “let out into the community” over the past six weeks and I am about to order more. Bunting and banners have been obtained and will been seen at markets shortly. Printed shopping bags for customers are also on the way. Let us hope it results in more customers at markets! That’s the test.

For more information on local markets and dates please visit our website at:

www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk