How ‘the new normal’ really looks at Sheffield’s Moor Market

Even with a mask covering the lower half of her face, I can see that her mouth has wrinkled into a smile, and there’s a delighted twinkle in her eye.

“That ring of conversation, of laughter and banter between customers and stallholders,” she says, looking around with a satisfied shake of her head.

“That’s what we’ve all been missing during lockdown.”

We’re sitting in the middle of Sheffield’s Moor Market on a bustling Friday lunchtime, my first visit to the market since lockdown restrictions began to ease last month.

I’ll admit it was with a hint of apprehension I pulled on my mask and headed into the city centre complex today. Like most people, I’ve been actively avoiding crowds the last few months, even eschewing the busy supermarkets for my local shop - but I’m pleasantly surprised to find that Sheffield Markets are on the ball.

At the main entrance, I took a complementary pump of hand sanitiser under the watchful eye of a security guard, who is tasked with ensuring no more than 320 people enter the market at any one time.

From there, I entered the market’s new one-way walking system, looping around the stalls in a pretty orderly fashion, before joining Susannah at a seating area in an open space in the middle - where a sign informs us we can only stay for 45 minutes.

There’s nobody else near us, and I can feel myself relax.

In fact, I realise there’s something rather wonderful about the sense of normality swirling around us as we sit here. If it wasn’t for the masks on our faces, the current pandemic could well have completely slipped my mind.

“The one-way system has been designed to keep everyone flowing the right way,” Susannah, of S&J’s Pantry, explains.

“It stops build-up and crunch points, and means that nobody is pushing past each other or passing one another unnecessarily.”

It’s just one of a number of safety provisions that have been implemented at the market, which has been reopening in stages for the past several weeks.

“We want people to know we’re back, and that it’s safe to come and shop here with us,” says Susannah who, along with her husband, is known to many simply as ‘Sue and John from the market.’

“There is hand sanitiser everywhere, so our customers can clean their hands as they work their way around the market.

“Everything is being regularly deep cleaned too. Three weeks before re-opening, we were invited to come and deep clean our stalls, which we did.

“We removed everything, scrubbed every item, surface, wall, and ceiling, and put everything back.

“Our stall is scrubbed every single day with boiling water, and I’ve taken an online hygiene course to help me identify all the touch points, and to learn how to clean my unit properly.”

Susannah adds with a laugh: “I pride myself that people could eat their dinner off my unit floor!”

Something else that catches my eye, as we sit chatting, is the market’s cleaning crew.

“They’re a constant presence, and doing a fantastic job,” Susannah confirms.

“As soon as someone leaves a table, that table and chairs is cleaned down for the next person.

“The toilets are being heavily monitored, and they’re working on a ‘cubicle, not-cubicle’ system, to ensure social distancing.

“As soon as someone leaves a cubicle, someone goes in to clean it ready for the next person.

“The cleaning crew is being incredibly vigilant, and very observant.”

Susannah says that customer safety is key, and that the staff and stallholders are doing all they can to ensure that people feel safe to return to The Moor Market.

“The cafes are all doing recyclable plates and cups, and knives and forks, so there’s no cross-contamination.

“They all have special seating arrangements, to keep people apart, and table service for customers’ comfort and safety.

“Stalls have screens in place where they’re needed, and everybody is wearing masks or visors.

“The key for us is ensuring that our older customers in particular, the ones who’ve been locked in their homes for the last few months with nobody to talk to, feel safe to come here and see us, and chat with us, and buy what they need, and enjoy themselves.

“That’s what we’ve all been missing, and it’s lovely to see people coming back.”

Julie Nortcliffe, who runs the ‘Love & Best Wishes’ stall, reopened on July 1.

“We have a really good regular customer base, and they’re slowing coming back and finding it’s safe,” says Julie.

“There are so many safety measures in place, and we have our screens up, and staff in masks and visors, so it’s been working nicely.

“We’re allowing just a couple of customers into the stall at a time, and that’s been working really well.”

Nick Erodotou, of Moor Cobbler Shoppe Ltd, who has been back at work for four weeks, adds: “I feel like the one-way system has irritated some people a bit, but it has to be done, and is helping to keep everyone safe.

“There’s hand sanitiser everywhere, the toilets are being kept really clean, and everything is being monitored well.

“I think our customers are starting to realise they can return, and return safely, so let’s just hope that message continues to spread.”

As my chat with Susannah comes to an end, we stand up from our table, and I can see a member of the cleaning staff making a beeline to wipe down our chairs. Good.

There are no hand shakes as we part ways, just a big friendly bob of the head from Susannah - whose mask does nothing to obscure her warmth - as she is quickly swept away to serve a customer. As I leave the stall behind, the soundtrack of friendly banter continues to fill my ears from all sides.

I follow the one-way system towards the exit, like Dorothy on the yellow brick road, until I’m back outside in the fresh air.

This may be a brave new world we’re all heading into, and rather reluctantly, but over at The Moor Market, I’m delighted to report that the ‘new normal’ is being done pretty damn well.