“Entente Cordiale” may currently be tested to the limits in Brussels, but on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell, Anglo-French relations could not be warmer.<br><br>This year’s Exmouth Market Summer Festival’s main events will take place on Sunday 17 July and the market will also be host to a French Market on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of that weekend. <br><br>Islington Council is working closely with the festival organisers to ensure that all three days are a big hit and are providing extra staff, some French-speaking, from 8am each day to liaise with the festival organisers and to deal with any parking issues. <br><br>Parking restrictions in nearby streets have been relaxed to allow up to 20 French stallholders’ vehicles, and the additional 30 stallholders who will arrive on Sunday, to be parked. Special arrangements have been made to facilitate easy loading and unloading to ensure Rosebery Avenue is not blocked. <br><br>The council will be enforcing pay and display bays during normal hours of operation to ensure some parking is available nearby for visitors to the market. The area will also be monitored over the weekend to control any other potential parking problems to guarantee a positive experience for market-goers.<br><br>Ann Restak, representing the Exmouth Market Traders’ Association said: <br><br>“We are so pleased Islington Council is working with us to make this fantastic day run smoothly. We want to see as many people as possible come and enjoy themselves over the weekend."<br><br>Cllr George Allan, executive member for customer focus said:<br><br>"The French Farmers are always popular and welcome visitors to the borough.<br>The council has listened to local people and taken care to make sure the extra stallholders, shoppers and the thousands of anticipated crowds expected at the festival are accommodated safely and without causing disruption.<br><br>The council worked with traders to ensure that the farmers, the extra stallholders and the thousands of people we expect to come to the festival, can all come and go safely.<br><br>I’ll be shopping there myself. I have developed a taste for French sausage." <br><br>Around 20 French traders have requested trading licences, and the street trading officers will be attending the market on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday to help accommodate they and the other Exmouth Market traders. <br><br>For further information on Exmouth Market and the French Market, visit www.exmouth-market.com.<br><br>ENDS
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009