Earlestown
In partnership with St Helens Council, The Teenage Market brought young traders, performers and festive energy into Earlestown Market, creating a free platform for youth enterprise, creativity and confidence.
🎪 Festive trading
We partnered with St Helens Council to set up and run a Teenage Market event in Earlestown Market in December 2024, giving 20 young traders a free platform to sell a wide range of gifts in time for the festive period.
The products sold included 3D printed items, Christmas-themed plushies and a varied selection of handmade jewellery. Across the event, more than 400 products were sold, showing the appetite for young creativity and enterprise in the town centre.
“We are the future, so it’s lovely to experience what it's like to have stall for a day at a market.”
🏫 College links
Two local colleges were actively involved in the event: Carmel College and Ascent Autism Specialist College. Their involvement helped ensure that the event reached young people with different interests, abilities and support needs.
Speaking about their involvement, Joanna Grimes, Senior Teaching Assistant, said that The Teenage Market gave students a valuable opportunity to develop resilience and build on their creative skills in preparation for the workplace.
The event was also well received by the young traders, with many commenting on the helpful staff who made them feel welcome and supported. This supportive environment is central to the Teenage Market model, giving young people the space to try trading without fear of failure or financial risk.
🎤 Live performance
Alongside the young traders, The Teenage Market in Earlestown also provided a platform for young performers. This included 30 performers from Stagecoach, who had the opportunity to perform individually and as part of a group.
A young band from St Helens College also had the opportunity to play their first gig in front of a crowd, and one of the young traders even decided to get on the mic. Visitors frequently mentioned the value of the performances in creating a festival atmosphere and bringing additional energy to the market.
This combination of trading and performance helped create a more vibrant, family-friendly event, showing how young people can contribute to the life of a town centre when they are given the right platform.
✨ Lasting impact
Collectively, the young traders made over £2,800, with the average trader taking home £110. Providing a free platform was essential, as a number of traders would have lost money if they had been asked to pay a pitch fee.
Instead, they walked away having made money and gained valuable experience. In a post-event survey, 85% said their confidence had improved as a result of taking part, while 95% wanted to see another event in Earlestown.
Thirteen-year-old Mille said that the event gave her “a huge confidence boost and a more positive outlook on the future”. Another trader, 18-year-old Latoya Likambi, described how the event helped to “boost confidence, social skills and support young business owners to connect with new markets”.
After experiencing a successful day of trading at the event, Latoya signed up to become a regular trader at Earlestown Market, showing how one Teenage Market opportunity can create a pathway into longer-term local trading.
Earlestown’s Teenage Market showed how a free, supportive and youth-led event can deliver meaningful impact for young people while bringing new life, creativity and festive energy into a traditional market setting.