Love Melksham – A resident’s love letters to her town

Eight years ago, two talented Melksham friends decided to take a leap of faith and create something lovely for Melksham. 

Nicola and Sarah, a pair of enterprising artists, had met at the cosy gathering of crafters that started at the Littlebrook Centre in 2017. Inspired to showcase local arts and crafts, they approached the town council for help in using the Market Place for a monthly celebration of local creativity. With permissions and paperwork managed by the town council, they gathered together 11 other crafty people, and on a Saturday in 2019 – despite torrential rain, which meant the market was temporarily relocated into the town hall – the Melksham Makers’ Market was launched.

With Nicola’s beautiful, crocheted pieces and Sarah’s splendid sewing as staples of the market, this relatively small gathering of gazebos full of goodies has expanded over the years to become a regular monthly market of up to 25 stalls of knitted, painted, sculpted, welded, carved and baked goods.

As you wander through the bustling Market Place on a Makers’ Market Day (the last Saturday of the month from April to September) you will be surrounded by every possible type of beautiful work of art made in (or near) Melksham. Some of the usuals include Amanda Humphreys with her hand-painted teapots, ceramic brooches and mugs; John and Susie from Tabletop Wiltshire with gorgeous pewter and glass creations; and Catherine from Sunflower Macrame, who weaves elegant plant holders, jewellery and purses.

You can really feel the love and pride that’s gone into each item on every stall, from silver earrings and wooden bowls to bamboo bug hotels and hand-sewn handbags.

As well as enjoying the beautiful array of creations and their friendly, helpful creators, you can treat yourself to something delicious from Sandridge Brownies and Bakes (who have been with the market since the beginning!) and pick up a nice hot coffee from Rocco’s coffee box. People tend to stay for a while, wandering around the bustling community space and chatting to friends in the inspiring atmosphere.

The ethos of celebrating handmade skills is shared by all the makers who promote and support each other to keep the lovely market going. Nicola and Sarah are devoted to showcasing new creators and are especially proud that one of their traders, jewellery maker Katy Wilkinson, who developed her business over the years at the Melksham Makers’ Market, is now successfully running her own jewellery shop in Devizes.

The market is run with help from Melksham Town Council, on a not-for-profit basis, with all surplus stall fee money going back into the running costs, as well as a monthly donation to Melksham Food Bank.

The next Makers’ Market will be on Saturday 25th July, from 9am to 2pm, so drop by to see what’s been made this month and discover another wonderful reason to ‘Love Melksham!’

Miriam Zaccarelli