Carlisle
Held in key city centre locations, The Teenage Market in Carlisle has showcased the creative talent of local young people, strengthened community ties and helped bring public spaces to life with trading, performance and youth-led energy.
🎪 Bringing youth creativity into the city centre
The Teenage Market in Carlisle has created a visible and vibrant platform for young people to showcase their creativity, test business ideas and perform in front of live audiences.
First established in Carlisle in 2023, the programme was hosted by Cumberland Council and supported through the High Street Task Force. Three Teenage Markets were held that year, taking place in the pedestrianised city centre in April and September, before moving indoors to The Lanes Shopping Centre for the Christmas event in December.
From the outset, the response from young people was strong. The first market in April 2023 attracted 27 young traders and 5 performers, with participants coming not only from Carlisle but from across Cumberland and wider Cumbria. By the time the Christmas market was announced, awareness had grown so significantly that all available trader stalls were booked within 12 hours, with a further 15 young traders placed on a waiting list.
Held across key city centre locations including the Market Place and The Lanes Shopping Centre, the events have helped bring a wave of youth-led energy into Carlisle. Young traders have sold handmade products, artwork, gifts and creative items, while performers have brought music and dance into the heart of the city.
The markets have not only celebrated young entrepreneurial talent, but have also fostered a sense of pride in Carlisle. By giving young people a public platform, The Teenage Market has shown that the city centre can be a place where young people are seen, valued and encouraged to grow.
“The Teenage Market is an incredible platform for young creatives. It not only showcases our talent but also empowers us to turn our passion into a business.”
🛍️ A real-world trading opportunity
For many young people, taking part in The Teenage Market has provided an important first step into enterprise.
The evaluation feedback shows that traders have taken part for a range of reasons: to promote a small business, raise money for good causes, share their crafts, gain experience, meet people and learn what it feels like to trade in a real public setting.
One participant explained that they wanted to “experience a small business environment”. Another said: “It helps me make money as a small business starting out. It’s a good opportunity and it’s free.”
That free, low-risk model is central to the impact of The Teenage Market. Young people are able to test products, speak to customers, receive feedback and build their confidence without the pressure or financial risk of a traditional commercial market.
The April 2025 event at The Lanes Shopping Centre demonstrated the strength of this opportunity. Nineteen traders took part, offering more than 1,179 products for sale and generating £1,257.50 in reported sales. By October 2025, the Carlisle city centre Teenage Market generated a further £1,627.50 in sales, showing how the model continues to create meaningful income and experience for young people.
Across the wider Cumberland Teenage Market programme in 2025, reported trader sales reached almost £7,000, with young people trading in Carlisle and Maryport, gaining experience, earning income and building their confidence in public settings.
✨ Confidence, skills and self-belief
Feedback from young traders and performers has been overwhelmingly positive, with many highlighting the confidence, skills and sense of community they gained through taking part.
Across the 2023 Carlisle evaluation, three recurring themes stood out: networking, skills acquisition, and the welcoming atmosphere of the markets. Young traders valued the opportunity to meet other young entrepreneurs, see what their peers were creating and feel part of a growing community of stallholders.
They also described learning how to create and sell products, speak to customers, manage money, promote their business and gain experience of trading independently. Several traders highlighted the value of being able to make money from their interests, while also learning how to present their work in a public setting.
One young trader said: “I am usually quite shy, this has helped me feel more confident.” Parents also described seeing their children grow in confidence, learn to handle customers, calculate prices and understand profit margins.
For another family, The Teenage Market helped their child build a sense of belonging after moving to the area, giving them a way to make friends, settle in and feel encouraged creatively.
🎤 Performance, production and participation
The Carlisle Teenage Markets have extended their impact beyond trading.
Live performance has been a key part of the Carlisle model, helping to animate the city centre and create a more vibrant atmosphere around the market. Across the three 2023 events, young performers included dance schools, solo singers and bands, with performers ranging from 10 to 22 years old.
The performances encouraged members of the public to stop, watch and visit the market stalls, while also bringing families and friends into the city centre to support the young people taking part. This helped create a shared sense of celebration around youth creativity.
Sam Wilkinson, Principal at Studio A Dance Company, whose students performed at the market, said that the events give young people “such a boost in confidence” and allow them to see “what other people their age are doing and how they could also have a market stall of their own”.
The markets have also created opportunities behind the scenes. A young sound technician, sourced through Carlisle Youth Zone, managed the live performance programme at the events. This gave them practical experience in event management, sound production and audience engagement, helping spark their passion for a future career in events.
🤝 Youth organisations, schools and community partners
The Teenage Market has helped strengthen connections between young people, families, youth organisations, local partners and city centre businesses.
Groups of young people from Carlisle Youth Zone, The Rock Youth Project and James Rennie School Enterprise Group took part in the 2023 markets, supported by youth workers and teachers to plan, prepare products and trade on the day.
The Rock Youth Project’s involvement showed how The Teenage Market can support wider youth work outcomes. Young people from the project used the market as a way to fundraise for a trip, designing products, researching costs, planning how to make a profit and learning marketing, teamwork, communication and leadership skills.
At the market itself, they moved from feeling shy and nervous to confidently speaking to customers, attracting people to their stall and building rapport with the public. Having set an original fundraising target of £50, they sold out and made £216.
The Lanes Shopping Centre has also played an important role in supporting the events, helping to provide a visible and accessible city centre setting. Its support for the Christmas Teenage Market created a high-footfall festive environment and opened up further conversations about how young traders could access busy retail spaces in the future.
🌱 From market day to future pathways
The Carlisle programme has always been about more than one-day events.
Cumberland Council’s evaluation highlighted the need to develop progression routes for young traders and performers, linking them with local business support, networking opportunities and new retail environments. The Business and IP Centre in Cumbria Libraries offered support to registered traders and performers, while links were also explored with The Emporium in Denton Holme, Carlisle indoor market and The Lanes Shopping Centre.
The feedback from young people shows clear appetite for this next stage. Across the 2024 and 2025 evaluations, traders repeatedly asked for more markets, more opportunities, marketing support, mentoring, enterprise skills workshops and advice on online selling.
One young person said they would like “more markets and opportunities to learn marketing and business”, while another said: “You could organise workshops teaching us how to grow our own business or start our business online.”
This shows how The Teenage Market can become a gateway into wider enterprise support, helping young people take the confidence they build on the day and turn it into future pathways.
🚀 Looking ahead
The Carlisle Teenage Market has demonstrated the power of giving young people free, visible and supportive opportunities in the heart of the city.
By combining trading, performance, youth work, city centre partnerships and practical enterprise experience, the markets have helped young people build confidence, earn money, develop skills and feel more connected to their place.
From the Market Place to The Lanes Shopping Centre, The Teenage Market has brought creativity and community into Carlisle’s public spaces. It has shown that when young people are trusted with real opportunities, they bring energy, talent and pride back into the city. With strong demand from young traders, positive feedback from families and continued support from local partners, Carlisle has a clear opportunity to grow The Teenage Market further as a platform for youth enterprise, confidence and creative placemaking.