The local heat of the 2024 UK Young Market Trader of the Year competition saw Silver Hollow, a locally based jewellery company, beat off tough competition to win first place.

Highly commended companies were Garden to Jar, Fyne Design and HM Jones Designs.

A special award for commitment was given to Soapandle by markets operator Zac Coden from Coden Events.

These companies will now go forward to the South-East Regional Final at Portobello Market in London on Sunday 14 July, with the ultimate goal of reaching the National Final in Stratford-on-Avon later in the summer.

Taking place in Horsham town centre's Bishopric area in West Street on Sunday 28 April, it was the second time Horsham had hosted the competition which attracted a high number of local entrants.

Lots of shoppers came along to support some of our most exciting young business entrepreneurs as well as enjoying a broad range of delicious street food and live entertainment, and the opportunity to shop local from surrounding businesses.

Zac Coden from Coden Events which runs the West Street Entrepreneurs' Markets commented: "The young market entrepreneurs' competition was a great success and we will definitely partner with the National Market Traders Federation to bring it back to Horsham in the future. It brought lots of shoppers into the West Street/Bishopric area of the town.

We were very impressed by the broad variety of goods on offer and the quality of all the products on sale. It was great to see all the young traders selling lots of their goods and getting valuable feedback from customers."

Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for the Local Economy and Place Cllr Ruth Fletcher added: "As a council we actively look to support more young traders in Horsham District and this event provided the perfect opportunity for young entrepreneurs to showcase their products in a cost-effective way alongside more experienced traders, and learn from them how to hone their sales and presentation skills.

We were really pleased at the high number of entrants to the competition. Congratulations to Silver Hollow, the winners and to the runners up. Best of luck to you all for the London and South-East Final in July.

Organised by Horsham District Council in association with the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) and the District's local market operators, this was a great event for visitors and traders alike with a wide range of up-and-coming younger businesses showcased. Stalls included a very broad range of goods including handmade chocolate, jewellery, artwork prints, bags and accessories, crochet and home décor.

The local judges were led by a skilled team from the NMTF and included local renowned businessman John Bartlett, who traded for many years in the Carfax as Sussex Faire, Ben Morris, Editor of All About Horsham Magazine and Pam Stace of Bon Bon Antiques - all passionate enthusiasts for local markets and independent businesses.

West Street Entrepreneurs' Markets, launched in January 2023, provides a platform for many types of stalls ranging from traditional fruit and veg to antiques, and local businesses normally only found online.