Essential Sefton

The brand new Southport Market will officially open its doors in mid-July, in time for a scorching summer of tasty treats, thirst quenching drinks and much more.

A host of traders, including a newly revealed Pacific Rim & Sushi inspired food stall by the Vincent Hotel, will be ready to welcome visitors to the incredible market space the week commencing July 19, following months of planning and refurbishment works.

All ten stalls and traders, as well as a feature bar and drinks space, have now been confirmed as residents of the North West’s newest food and drink experience, combining an incredible mix of local talent from across Southport and an array of international delicacies at the heart of the resort’s revamped market quarter.

The £1.4m scheme, which is a key enabler and an early part of Sefton Council’s Covid-19 recovery plan for Southport, is also supported by a flexible events area able to host high-quality pop-up markets along with other events.

Paul Adams, owner of the Vincent Hotel, said he was delighted to reveal an expansion to his team of talented chefs will be taking up residency at Southport Market.

He said: “There’s a new Vincent in town! We have been working hard with Sefton Council to open a new food offering within the market.

“Pacific by Vincent will open alongside 9 other local vendors and we are so excited to welcome residents and visitors to what is an amazing regeneration of the market.

“Pacific will be serving many of our popular Vincent speciality dishes, from our beautiful salmon sushi rolls to our ‘gringo’ Sushi range (for non-fish lovers) and Pacific Rim inspired food including our award winning duck spring rolls.

“We cannot wait to welcome our existing regulars and hopefully many more new customers to this exciting venture which is a great step in boosting the local economy and tourism in Southport.”

The full list of confirmed traders is as follows:

Blackhurst Butchers
600 degrees (Pizzas, Italian)
Hector’s Mexicana (Mexican street food)
Pacific By Vincent (Pacific Rim inspired foods)
Down and Oot (Canadian steaks, poutine, hot sandwiches)
King St. Bakery (Portuguese tarts)
Messy Moments (Desserts)
Birkdale Pie & Mash (Assorted pies)
Allotment – (American Burgers et al)
Pitamu (Greek & Mediterranean)

An incredible feature bar, described as the centrepiece of the new Southport Market crown, will be managed by the Mikhail Leisure group, famous for the successful Bold Hotel, Punch Tarmey’s and much more.

Andrew Mikhail, owner of The Mikhail group, said: “Yet again, the great team at Sefton Council have had fabulous vision with their regeneration plans for the market.

“Not only creating jobs for locals but I am certain that this will bring people from far and wide to Southport.”

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “July will be a very exciting time and we cannot wait to welcome thousands of visitors through the Market’s gates.

“We are delighted to see all the hard work of our Tourism team and partners coming to fruition and to be able to complete this project on time and to such an incredible standard is a testament to our commitment to Southport and Sefton.

“Every single trader comes to the market with a passion and desire to ensure this project is a success and we are confident this will be one of the North West’s best food & drink gems.

“We look forward to working with our traders and stall holders at what is an iconic location in the heart of Southport and, most importantly, welcoming residents and visitors to enjoy the space we have worked so hard to create.”

The Southport Market project has been led by Sefton Council and partners, supported by funding from the Liverpool City Region and Southport Town Deal.

While we are working towards this opening, the date is subject to change pending any further changes to easing of lockdown restrictions by Public Health England and Central Government.

As part of work to combat the effects of child poverty, which have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sefton Council’s Cabinet has approved the development of a Child Poverty Strategy.

Developing the Strategy, in partnership with The Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty Partnership, will help redress the impact of poverty on young people in Sefton from the COVID pandemic and Government welfare reforms.

Among its aims will be work to prevent families falling into poverty, and support to help those already in difficulty.

Resilience

Increasing family income and improving opportunities for employment and building resilience in local communities against the causes of poverty are key aims of the Strategy. Improving mental wellbeing, addressing stigma and exclusion and improving digital inclusion are also among its objectives.

The Council will work across the statutory, community, voluntary and faith sectors to ensure services are put in place to support families.

Impact

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Poverty has the largest impact on infant mortality and during childhood, it is the first step to poor physical and mental health.

“More families in Sefton falling into the absolute or relative low-income category, eligibility for free school meals has risen during the pandemic and we have seen that the increase in Universal Credit has not been enough to bridge the gap for working families in poverty.

“Additionally, there is a high level of jobs in Sefton in the retail, healthcare, hospitality and leisure sectors which tend to be lower paid. These are also roles less likely to be possible to carried out from putting those people at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. And, research shows a low income makes people significantly more likely to experience mental health illness.

Saddened

Cllr Hardy continued: “Although I am saddened that in 2021, we are forced into the situation where we need to develop a Child Poverty Strategy, I am pleased that doing so will help the Council to focus on lobbying for change to protect the most vulnerable children and young people in the Borough.”

Links to Sefton Council meetings can be found on www.sefton.gov.uk