Shoppers brave the rain for first festival farmers’ market

These visitors from Birmingham were still smiling, despite the downpour on Friday

Well, it pelted it down! But that didn’t stop hundreds of shoppers visiting the first Food & Drink Festival farmers’ market in the High Street.

It was brollies and Wellington boots all round as the festival got the worst possible start in terms of the weather. But good news – the sun will be shining on Saturday (fingers crossed!!).

Enid and Helen from Shropshire

Lots of people who were at the market had travelled into Stone from Birmingham, Shropshire, Derbyshire and Manchester, many of them staying for the whole weekend.

Taste of Staffordshire, main sponsor of this year’s festival, will be carrying out surveys of just where people travel from to attend the weekend. From chats with visitors today, it’s pretty clear that the festival is certainly a big draw and is really putting Stone on the map.

Pat and Sheila from Park Hill Farm Beef were serving up some treats for shoppers

There’s another farmers’ market in the High Street on Saturday – without the need for the umbrellas this time, hopefully!