Keswick is holding its first-ever plastic-free market this weekend.

It is well-known for its Thursday and Friday markets in the town centre and the annual Victorian Christmas market and now organiser Chinty Turnbull is hoping the waste-free market will become just as popular.

Shoppers are being encouraged to bring their own containers to fill up with a range of goods from cakes and coffee to gifts, cleaning fluids, eggs, clothing and stationery.

Some 15 stalls have signed up for the market which is being held at the Methodist Hall on Southey Street from 2.30pm to 5.30pm tomorrow.

Chinty is hoping to make it a regular monthly event and said: “My aim is to offer Keswick locals a place to walk in and buy a variety of things that are environmentally friendly and have little or no packaging and as far as possible little or no single use plastic.”

The mother of two, who lives in Keswick, was inspired to start up the market by the pop-up plastic free market in Cockermouth which started last year.

She explained: “I’m getting more interested in farmers markets and local produce and reducing air miles and I thought about the Cockermouth market and got the idea that Keswick could do with that.

“I booked the first possible date I could but the idea is to make the market a monthly event.”

As well as items to buy, each market will have a table set aside for people to bring items to swap and recycle.

Tomorrow there will be a swap table for children’s toys and school uniform for people to bring things that are clean and in a good condition and exchange on the day.

There will also be vegan and gluten-free food to buy.

The market is sponsored by local firm Millican Dalton who make sustainable canvas bags and Chinty has also won the backing of local schoolchildren.

St Herberts Primary and Borrowdale Primary children have designed posters that have been displayed around Keswick to advertise the event and which will form an exhibition on the walls of the hall around the market stalls.

Chinty, who started the town’s Women’s Institute group said: “I asked for as many as the children had time to do and got over a hundred back, each one completely different.

“They are fabulous and full of imagination and passion for the subject.”

Keswick School pupils have also created an original sculpture made from discarded plastic which will be displayed at the market.

Anyone interested in joining the market or with any ideas for it can contact Chinty on chintyt@gmail.com.