New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) traders and their supporters defied the credit crunch on Saturday night to raise more than £30,000 for Trinity Hospice and the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.
The spectacular sum came from nearly 300 traders and their guests at the market’s annual dinner and dance, as well as a large number of donations from companies and individuals within the fresh produce trade.
Gary Marshall, chairman of the Covent Garden Tenants’ Association, told diners he was overwhelmed with their continuing generosity and in tune with the theme of the evening, which was a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, paid respect to the British Armed Forces and all those that have lost their lives and continue to put their lives at risk in defence of this country.
He also praised the Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) for its work to align itself more closely with tenants. Under the control of chairman Baroness Brenda Dean and chief executive Jan Lloyd, Marshall said the tenants’ association “has worked hard over the last few years to get more involved with the tenants and the way the market works”.
He added: “It is easy to criticise, but the initiatives that the CGMA have tried shows it is committed to the market.”
Co-operation between NCGM tenants and their landlords led to a rent increase that could have been as high as 28 per cent on the open market being capped at less than nine per cent for a five-year period. A reduction of £2 per square foot in service charge means that tenants are projected to benefit from costs that will be lower in real terms during that time. “This again proves that the CGMA have both us and the future of the market in their hearts,” Marshall assured tenants.
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