'Some weeks I might take £10' - market trader

Dane Crook has been the only regular trader at Goldthorpe market for months

A market trader who is the only regular seller at a brand new revamped town square site in South Yorkshire has said some weeks he only takes just £10 and never more than £100.

Butcher Dane Crook has been selling from Goldthorpe market in Barnsley for about four months, but said despite the council spending £1.37m on the new space in October 2023 it could sometimes not be worth his time pitching up there.

Mr Crook said: "I wouldn't be upset if they said, 'Dane, don't come next week, it's closed'."

Barnsley Council said it was "committed to making sure the space thrives", and was working to attract more market traders to the Thursday market.

When the revamped public square was opened in Goldthorpe 12 months ago, it was described as a "major milestone", amid claims it would "help shape a bright new future" for the area.

It was paid for from part of a £23m pot of money allocated from the government's Towns Fund.

As part of the refurbishment, a former derelict pub, the Horse and Groom, was demolished and replaced by a large event space, complete with planters and seating, as well as electric hook-ups for market traders.

But new figures from the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed the number of regular stalls on the new square had reduced from eight in October 2023, to just one in September 2024.

Mr Crook, who also has a shop in the town, told the BBC he was enticed to the market after getting a £2,000 council grant to fix his refrigerated van.

"It's another outlet [for the business], but the market is dying," he said.

"I don't think it'll be here much longer. I'm keeping going and hoping it will build and I've been asking other traders to join me."

The 32-year-old has been the only regular trader and has convinced two other people to join him for their first time selling at Goldthorpe.

"It's not been grand, you've seen that. There's no money in Goldthorpe," Mr Crook said.

He added that he worried people did not even know the market was on in some weeks, as it was just his stickered van parked on the square.

Pictured in 2023, the market was busy on its opening day, but has since dropped to just one regular stall holder

Mr Crook's friend Rick Bryan normally sells at weekend car boots and said he had tried out Goldthorpe market for the first time.

He was charged £15 for the spot, plus a gazebo to sell household items from his three tables.

The 39-year-old from Goldthorpe used to work in a bookmakers and changed career when he wanted to be his own boss.

He said it had been "sound" at the market and that it was worth coming, having taken enough money to pay himself a wage for the day.

"This is enjoyable front-of-house work, where you get to smile and laugh with people," Mr Bryan explained.

"If you’re the right person selling the right stuff, you’ll be reyt," he said, adding he would be back to trade the following week.

Mr Bryan said he knew customers' needs were changing, but felt traders needed to adapt too.

"It’s up to us to move with the times. Apart from the wheel being round, everything else has evolved," he added.

The decline in the market had been "sad", Neil and Cheryl Ayrton agreed

Neil Ayrton, 55, from Goldthorpe, said the new market square was "quite attractive", but there seemed to be no demand for a market.

"It's a shame, really, because it would attract people if we had the stalls that we wanted. You need to ask the stall holders why they don't want to set up here."

Mr Ayrton's wife, Cheryl, said it was "sad to see", with people moving to online shopping.

"It is sad. We want to come here and shop. There's nothing we'd like better than to walk down to the local market and buy the produce, but it's just not here," Mr Ayrton said.

Councillor Robin Franklin, from Barnsley Council, said the square was designed to be a "vibrant space for the community" with events having attracted hundreds of people.

"These events offer a great opportunity for market traders, bringing high footfall to the area," he said.

“Alongside a calendar of events, we’re also working on developing further projects for the square, looking at how we can encourage more traders to apply for a stall."

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