“WIMBORNE needs a good, attractive market” is the message from the market’s owner, as he hopes to keep it running.

The historic Wimborne Market held its last ever sale at its site in Station terrace on the weekend as McCarthy & Stone begin constructing their retirement village.

And the owner of the market, John George, through his company Ensors Ltd, has applied for permission to hold a market at the Wimborne Showground and Lake Gates.

Mr George said: “My market caretaker went round with a long list told me every trader signed and gave their address and supported the application we have in to move the market.

“The local people love the market and want a decent market.

“A few of the older traders have said they’re going to retire, most of the others we’ve pushed to Dorchester temporarily.

“I’m pushing to keep the market because I’ve been lucky enough to inherit Ensors Ltd and I have got a duty to keep a market in Wimborne.

“The markets in the town are very important. People know they can go and get a product as cheap as any other source and a market attracts people.

“When our market was at its height, we probably had 100 traders, there’s 100 people making their living through the market, and people have to live.”

Mr George said Wimborne was famous for its Minster and its market and it would be “crackers” to lose the market.

“It’s a sad day,” he continued. “But times change, and we feel we are changing with the times.

“Why do I want to keep the market? It’s my baby, it’s been my life.

“The main pulling power of the new market is a rural country market. We feel that the people like to feel they’re buying locally produced meat, cheese, butter cakes, we want to have it Dorset.

“The next stage is to get planning and we’re pushing like mad for that and we shall get something up as quickly as possible.

“Once we have planning, we’ll probably bold enough to get some stalls before we even have the buildings up.”

The market owner said it would run two days a week. He also called for anyone willing to help him setting up a heritage centre.

He said: “I would like to do a heritage centre, bringing out the past Roman history of the site and the history of the firm of Ensors.

“But I’m getting old now, so I’d need help to do it.”