A new food and craft market has been proposed for Halstead.

One of the town’s newest residents is looking to bring a flavour of her native South Africa to the town by setting up somewhere for shoppers to enjoy.

Mariana Crook is aiming to run the market in the grounds of Holy Trinity Church along North Hill.

The idea is to complement rather than rival the Halstead market, but offer a family friendly environment.

Ms Crook said: “There is nothing like this in Halstead at the moment.

“It would mainly be full of craft and food stalls while music would be played as well to make it friendly to people.

“Indoor markets are very popular in South Africa and it’s a good way of bringing the community together.” Ms Crook said she has had interest from a number of people and is arranging meetings in the coming weeks to progress the idea.

She is hoping to reach an agreement with Haylock Investment and Management Services, who are the owners of Halstead market, before she confirms a start date, but she remains confident her idea will be a success. Ms Crook added: “Quite a few people have contacted me and seem keen on it. If it proves popular we may have to consider holding it inside and outside the church.

“It would run once a month. Obviously in winter we would need to find a way to heat the church and work out an arrangement for toilet facilities, a few things need to be sorted out still.”