EFFORTS to reinvigorate Radcliffe Market are back on track, according to buoyant stallholders.

Last September, council bosses gave the struggling market 12 months to improve after watching it suffer a severe decline following a £1 million refurbishment.

Less than half of the stalls on the market were filled at one point last year, but recent weeks have seen an influx of new traders and an upturn in business.

The improvements have come after Bury Council lifted a freeze on new stallholders being admitted while negotiations continue to turn over the market's management, as well as reducing the minimum length of time businesses must commit to having a stall.

Brian Ringrose, who runs the Animels pet supplies stall, said: "The council have gone back on the requirement to have a 12-month contract and reduced it to 12 weeks, which has really helped potential stallholders.

"Since they have done that, we have had new people come in. The card stall has been set up, there is a florist, and there is going to be a fashion stall too.

"Things are definitely going in the right direction and we need to push on from here.

"The market is a bit hidden away and tough for people to see if they don't know where to look, so if we get more stalls we get selling everyday products that people need then that will hopefully continue to increase footfall and awareness of the market."

It is now hoped that word will spread through Radcliffe about the market's upturn in fortunes and help to secure its long-term future.

Sara Hurst, who opened a florists at the market last week, added: "We have had a really good start. There has been a nice, warm welcome from both the market and the people of Radcliffe.

"We pre-traded on Bury Market for six weeks but what we really needed was an established base. It is good value here, it is secure, and it gives us a proper shop within a market setting.

"Our customers have told me that they are seeing new businesses coming into the market and that they want it to be a thriving place. Now we need more traders to follow suit and set up here."

Another stallholder, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "There has been a definite improvement and you can see that things are getting better. Now we just want to see more stallholders coming in and more foot traffic coming through the market.

"My customers have definitely noticed the difference in the market in the last couple of months."

Bury Council remains in negotiations with Castlefield Events, which runs Farrars Café, to take over the running of the market.

Cllr Rishi Shori, leader of Bury Council, said: "I am really pleased that stallholders are encouraged by some of the changes the council has made to promote more businesses coming into the market, such as a greater flexibility around tenancy and the types of stalls that are allowed to set up.

"We are committed to finding a long-term solution and negotiations are ongoing about a new management arrangement.

"In the meantime, we will continue to seek additional stallholders and look forward in the medium term to the building of the new Lidl adjacent to the market hall, which can only help to boost the market."

Jodie Bannister, of Castlefield Events, says she is excited about potential developments in 2017 and has praised the success of the café's popular Friday Food Nights.

She said: "We have great plans to expand this year and have lots of ideas to bring more stalls who are committed to creating great things. We have been having discussions with the Slow Food Movement with a view to working together to create a market with slow food creation at it's centre - this is something that we have been committed to for many years and we particularly support businesses who share this ethos.

"We are looking for innovative new local businesses to get involved with us to create something really special and to work with the community who really want to see great things happening in the market.

"Lots of these smaller towns have been left behind yet there is still a strong feeling of community and a great desire within that community for Radcliffe to be a successful town again, a town where exciting things are happening."