Here's Gerb Gerbrands column on Stroud farmers' market and this week he details how his team gets everything set up each week.

Setting up a big weekly event like Stroud farmers’ market is no small feat.

All preparatory work is done at our office, using a database specifically created for our market bookings.

We send out booking forms monthly. On any market day there are probably about 60% of stalls who come every week, with the other 40% of stallholders doing once a month, twice a month or 3 times per month and to this you can add a number who are waiting in the wings ready to take a stall if we have a space.

I usually swing the lorry containing the stalls around the corner into Union Street between 5.30am and 5.45am and unload all the equipment while our team of erectors arrives (by 6). We have a wonderful tradition of using local young people alongside our team of 4 grown-ups to help with the set up.

They usually start when they are 14 and will then carry on working for us until they have finished their education; setting up from 6-9am and pack away 2-4pm

This Saturday we will be putting up about 65 stalls which takes us about 2 hours so by 8pm all stalls are up and our team will be assisting stallholders with carrying their stuff from their cars to their stalls; a luxury for stallholders but essential for the whole thing to function. When the square was built it was obviously never considered where stallholders would park to unload. Without careful management and bodies to help things go quickly and smoothly things would be even more chaotic than they are currently!