KENDAL farmers' market - which is being held in the town today (Friday) - is among the top three in Cumbria according to new figures released by Made in Cumbria, reports Westmorland Gazette Food Writer Gillian Cowburn.

Underlining the economic significance of the markets, a study by the Countryside Alliance has estimated that, with Carlisle and Cockermouth, the triumphant trio generate some £21,000, taking their estimated annual turnover to around the quarter million mark.

The alliance says that every £10 spent with a local food initiative is worth £25 to the local economy. The worth of the three markets, therefore, contributes an estimated £625,000 to Cumbria's economy.

It is widely believed that spending in farmers' markets has a high multiplier effect' - the money circulates more times in the local area before leaving.

In contrast, spending at supermarkets reduces the multiplier as most revenue leaves the local area immediately, says Made in Cumbria. The same alliance report, for example, has worked out that every £10 spent at a supermarket is worth only £14 locally.

Commenting on the figures, Stuart Lambert, of Kitridding Farm at Lupton, said the markets were the mainstay income for the majority of farmers.

"They account for approximately 50 per cent of my income - so they are massively important, not only economically but also socially as they provide one of the last remaining links townspeople have with the rural community."

See March 30 Westmorland Gazette for story in full.