A NEW food and drink market is set to launch in Lyme Regis next month.

Taking place on Saturday, April 24, ‘eat:Lyme Regis’ is a one-day celebration of local and regional food and drinks, organised by national organisation ‘eat: Festivals’.

The event will be free to enter and will feature around 60 regional food and drink producers spaced out along the seafront, with some socially distanced entertainment also scheduled.

The whole market will be out in the open air and there will be measures in place to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

The festival’s organisers believe Lyme Regis is the ‘perfect backdrop’ to showcase the micro and small producers from across the region.

A spokesman for the event said: “We know that weekend shindigs, days out and socialising have all been turned on their heads over the past year with plans disrupted and many regular events cancelled.

"In 2021 we are hoping for the best and are planning a fresh series of adapted markets in 2021 – including this new one in Lyme Regis.

“New towns, like Lyme Regis, are really important to our aims.

"We focus on producers who are based within 30 miles of our host towns, so when we see applications coming in from small businesses based outside our area, we want to create routes to market for them close to where they are.

“The seafront at Lyme Regis is magnificent and is the perfect backdrop to showcase the micro and small producers from across the region – many of whom have not been to a live market for over a year. Covid restrictions meant many event organisers weren’t able to adapt their model to enable them to continue trading and this cut off a vital revenue stream for these businesses.”

eat:Festivals began in Burnham-on Sea in 2012 and has steadily grown, hosting 23 events throughout Dorset, Somerset, Devon and South Gloucestershire this year.