HUNDREDS gathered on Friday to celebrate the official opening of Ashton Market Hall.

Four years on from the devastating fire which left the hall in ruins, the building described as the ‘heart of Ashton’ was finally brought back to life.

Town crier Barry McQueen rang in the changes and Tame Valley Brass Ensemble played Christmas favourites as shoppers took their first look inside.

Councillor Kieran Quinn cut the ribbon along with Carolyn Harrop who won our competition to find the best market memory.

Carolyn, who remembered sitting on the counter of the drinks stall ‘slurping strawberry milkshake’ with her mum, said: “It was really good, I really enjoyed it. I called back back up at dinnertime and it was so busy, it was unbelievable.

“I think it’s going to be even better than the old one.”

Ashton MP David Heyes was among the first through the doors to buy himself some oven-bottomed muffins!

“I thought it was fantastic” he said. “People had smiles on their faces, it was such a happy event.

“The thing that grabbed me was that we’ve got a splendid new market with all the modern facilities but when you go in you know where you are straight away.

“As many stalls as possible were in the same place and I think that’s the thing people were most pleased about - the familiar old market is back.”

Despite the economic crisis, Mr Heyes said he was confident of the market’s future.

“I think that the time is right for the traditional market. If we are heading for difficult economic times, people are going to want to look for bargain buys and the market is the best place for that.”

Councillor Quinn, Tameside’s economic chief, added: “It’s often been said that this market has been the heart of Ashton.

“If we have got difficult times ahead, Ashton‘s heart is here beating hard and that means Tameside is going to be a force for the future.”

Full coverage and more pictures in this week's Advertiser

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