“We had a fantastic response from the community,” Mr Massey said.

“The markets were very well attended, and though we had thirteen stall-holders turn up of the twenty we were expecting, it still went very well,” he said.

“It can grow from here too – we need a lot more in the way of things like vegetables, but still it was a very good start.”

Despite the need for some extra produce to compliment the products already available, Mr Massey said that plenty of the stall-holders were running low on supplies after only a few hours of business, which is a fantastic sign of things to come as the markets become a more and more recognised event.

“All the stall-holders who attended have said that they are coming back next month, and we so far have five more on top of the thirteen who were there,” he said.

“We definitely need a few stalls selling things like cheeses and breads, and we would love to get somebody selling fish and seafood as well,” he explained.

“But to be honest, it really was better than I anticipated.”

While no official figure could be found, it was estimated that up to five or six hundred people attended the markets, held in the grounds at St Barnabas’ Anglican Church in Oberon Street.

The markets were officially opened by Oberon Mayor Bob Hopper and representatives from St Barnabas’ Church, who cut a ribbon to announce the arrival of the markets after months of planning.

The markets will continue to take place on the first Saturday morning of each month.

Mr Massey reported that so far the feedback from the business community itself has also been good, with many local retailers saying that business increased significantly on Saturday with the extra people attending the markets.

“It really was a huge turnout, and I need to thank the community as well as the retailers,” Mr Massey said.

“There were a lot of comments about how the markets welded the community together in a way – many people were catching up with others and having a chat and a cup of coffee.”

“The St Barnabas garden was ideal, and now we have established a bit of a platform, and I can definitely see future growth for the concept.”

Any producers wishing to get involved with the Oberon and Tablelands Way Community Markets can do so by giving Mike Massey a call on 6336 1100 to find out more details of how to get started with a stall of their own.