RAWTENSTALL Market Action Group has disbanded following the retirement of founder chairman Joan Whiteley.

Joan, who swapped places with her daughter Hazel Bates after 21 years running the haberdashery stall, retired on Saturday.

She said: "It was a very emotional day, but I said I didn't want it to be a sad day and all the traders rallied round.

"One thing I always wanted to do was toast the market and so I provided all the traders with a glass of wine. When it was announced over the PA system we drank to Rawtenstall Market and its future prosperity.

"The group has disbanded because we felt it had served its purpose, which was to establish good relations with the council. We now have a liaison group with two traders from each of the Rossendale markets."

Joan said she felt the achievements of the group were to get the canopies replaced on the outdoor market stalls, the walkways resurfaced, the stalls repainted, the doors of the inside market and its the walls painted and a safety railing added to the car park at the rear. The market sign was changed to advertise the opening times of all the markets after traders intervened.

Joan said: "I believe the action group has left a legacy and I would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years, including the Evening Telegraph."

She said the highlight of her chairmanship was the successful Year of the Artist project and the schools' millennium review.