DESPITE the biting November weather, townsfolk and visitors from neighbour towns turned up in their thousands to sample the smells and sounds of St Helens first-ever continental market.

The waft of garlic, freshly baked bread potato provencale and cheese hovered over Church Square last weekend... for many a nostalgic reminder of days spent soaking up the sun in France, Italy or Belgium.

The continental market, held last Friday, Saturday and Sunday was organised via St Helens Council and Town Centre Partnership, in conjunction with Market Initiatives Ltd.

Town centre manager Ged Gibbons, acting as interpreter for me on the day was delighted with the initial response from shoppers.

"Church Square is alive - I'm delighted to see so many people taking the opportunity to use the market. I've just walked round and the sights and smells are enticing."

Allan Hartwell, director of Marketing Initiatives, which operate throughout the UK, organising about 45 events was equally enthusiastic about townsfolk's response: "A lot of people will have never seen anything like this. It's a unique experience."

Church Square's transformation into a cosmopolitan quarter was complete with stalls selling fragrant olives, fresh bread, wines, cheeses, jewellery and clothes.

FANTASTIC SMELLS

Goupil Etienne from Normandy (PICTURED ABOVE) with a table heaving under the weight of various varieties of garlic was delighted with how things went on his first trip to St Helens.

Parisian Isabelle Ecolivet said that despite the cold, interest was high.

Accents from Parr, Prescot and Pocket Nook mingled with those from Paris as people got their first taste of garlic prawns, flavoured baguettes and frankfurters.

The response from townsfolk seemed overwhelmingly supportive. The market even pulled in people from neighbouring towns.

Students Deborah and Laura Kelly travelled from Prescot: "It is amazing. The fantastic smells remind us of our holidays in France and Spain."

Susan Englen from Skelmersdale echoed those comments: "It's lovely. All those different smells and aromas."

At the end of the three days, town centre boss Ged added: "It's been so successful that negotiations are already underway to have one in summer and one in winter, starting next summer. This is a massive statement."

"By Sunday there were stallholders saying that they did better here than in Liverpool. They enjoyed the sense of humour and the fact that people were trying to speak French."

He suggested that most shops in the town had benefited from the market, showing a marked increase in custom sparked by the huge influx in visitors.