A SHORT while ago, Skipton Market was named as the best small market in the country. I have never known a market town to be awarded this when most market days they don’t have one, the market days are listed Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Since the town council took it over from Craven District the market has gone down and down.

I remember approximately seven years ago when Skipton did get the award for the best market of the year and it did earn the title. The coach park in the town hall was absolutely packed with coaches. I know this as my husband was market officer, and the car parks supervisor.

On a Wednesday they used to have up to a hundred coaches, with the overflow up at the auction mart. The tour coach drivers have a ‘option day’ in which they tell passengers about the excellent market in Skipton. His passengers then pay the driver to take them to this excellent market, and he has to pay fuel money out of this to his company, also parking money. When he arrives at Skipton , there is either a handful of stalls or none at all.

I’m sure if less coaches come in it must affect the shops’ takings. Coach drivers are getting annoyed at this. I love Skipton and would really like it to go back to how it was - a thriving market town

EILEEN CLARK Laurel Croft, Embsay.