Stratford's Good as New Market off to promising start

Isabel Callingham (9) was selling her toys and books at the market.

Sellers, shoppers and the local branch of Pregnancy Help were all winners on Sunday when the first pre-loved market Good as New took place at Skinner Road Hall.

While shoppers flocked through the doors to find some bargains and the stall holders enjoyed a steady stream of happy customers, a donation bin for Pregnancy Help was also feeling the love.

Shoppers and stall holders had been encouraged to bring items to donate to the local branch of Pregnancy Help and a donation tin for monetary donations was also on site.

By the end of the event, there were several bags of clothing and baby items for Pregnancy Help as well as a total of $129 to be donated to Pregnancy Help this week, says Helen Cloke, one of the market's organisers.

She says the money came from a combination of profits from the stallholder fees and donations made by shoppers and stallholders on the day.

Helen, along with Lizzie Callingham and Susan Rollo, organised the market to offer Central Taranaki families the opportunity to buy and sell quality pre-loved items for babies and children. The trio say they are pleased with the success of the first market and plan to hold a second on in September this year.

People are encouraged to like the Good as New Facebook page for further details.

Busy staffing one of the stalls on the day was nine-year-old Isabel Callingham who was helping her family sell pre-loved toys, clothes, books and other items to fundraise for a planned European holiday next year.

"It's been fun," she said, adding it was good to see her old toys going to new homes where they would be enjoyed by other children.