Edenbridge's Thursday market has won NABMA's Small Market Team of the Year, five years after the town council stepped in to save it. What the judges praised.
Edenbridge’s Thursday market has been named the best-run small market in the country. The town council’s market team won Small Market Team of the Year at the NABMA Awards. (Edenbridge Town Council, 2 October 2026)
NABMA, the National Association of British Market Authorities, presented the award at its gala dinner in Harrogate. The dinner was part of the association’s AGM and conference, and NABMA published the winners on 30 September. (NABMA, 30 September 2026)
It is a notable result for a market that came close to having no operator at all five years ago.
What the judges praised
NABMA’s citation says that since the town council took over the market in 2021, the team has:
- delivered significant growth
- increased trader numbers
- made the market more accessible to traders and visitors
The judges singled out the team’s “hands-on and personal approach”, its support for start-ups and younger entrepreneurs, and its relationships with traders. (NABMA, 30 September 2026)
Guy Holden of Edenbridge Town Council collected the award. NABMA’s president, Councillor David Hopkins, presented it, alongside Mark Parry of ZAPP, the awards sponsor.
The town council says running the market is “a true team effort”. Office staff, the Grounds Team and the Market Officer all work on it, with support from councillors. (Edenbridge Town Council, 2 October 2026)
The same night, the Small Market Achievement Award went to Wells City Council’s market and Large Market Team of the Year to Camden Markets. (NABMA)
How the council came to run it
The market’s previous operator pulled out of its agreement with the council in 2021. No suitable outside replacement could be found. Rather than let the market disappear, councillors took on its direct management. (Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge Market)
Since then the council has worked to add stalls and variety, and to raise the market’s profile with signs, advertising and social media. It appointed a part-time Market Officer in 2022.
The market’s history runs back almost 800 years. Henry III granted a market charter to the Lord of the Manor in 1227. Market Yard held a regular cattle market from the mid-1840s until 1928, and the rings used to tether the cattle are still on the east wall. (Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge Market)
What it means for you
The market runs every Thursday in Market Yard Car Park, just off the High Street:
- When: 8am to about 2.30pm. Some traders, including the fruit and veg stall, stay all day for people collecting orders after work.
- Where: Market Yard, with free parking, electric vehicle charging points and public toilets.
- What: 15 regular traders, some of whom have traded there for almost 30 years. Stalls sell fresh produce and baked goods, clothes, flowers and plants, home essentials, gifts and crafts.
(Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge Market)
Which stallholders are coming each week is posted on the market’s own website, Facebook and Instagram pages.
Want a pitch? The council asks every trader for proof of public liability insurance or a market trader’s licence, and risk-assesses each new stall. The application form goes to market@edenbridgetowncouncil.gov.uk, or call 01732 865368. (Edenbridge Town Council)
For more markets and fairs across the district this winter, see our Christmas fairs and markets guide, and for everything else on this month, what’s on in Sevenoaks.
Sources
- Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge wins Small Market Team of the Year 2026!, 2 October 2026
- NABMA, NABMA Awards 2026 celebrate excellence across the markets industry, 30 September 2026
- Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge Market (services page)
- Edenbridge Town Council, Edenbridge Market (visitor page)
Images: market team photo and award presentation photo supplied by Edenbridge Town Council, from its announcement of 2 October 2026. Timeline graphic by Sevenoaks Online.
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