Harborough’s Eco Village Celebrates Three Years Of Championing Sustainability

Market Harborough’s Eco Village is celebrating its third birthday.

The shopping outlet and eatery on St Mary’s Road continues to be a beacon of sustainability in the town, providing eco-friendly products and locally-sourced food and drink.

Beth Lambert and Beth Awdry, joint founders of the Eco Village

Operated as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, Beth Awdry and Beth Lambert set up the Eco Village – soon to be rebranded as ‘The Village’ – in February 2020 based on their vision of creating an outlet for local producers and businesses.

They wanted to provide an alternative to supermarket shopping, remove the need for single-use plastics and create somewhere the whole community could enjoy.

The two Beths say, despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, it has been a fantastic three years – which included recently winning a national Muddy Stiletto’s award for best sustainable business – and add they are hugely excited about the future and responding to the needs of the community.

Community Cafe at the Eco Village

The Village has hosted a range of events, from artisan makers with pop-up stalls, local musicians, yoga sessions, book launches, as well as festive and seasonal celebrations. They also continue to host a popular late night shopping evening every Thursday.

Beth Lambert said: “It has been great seeing how the Village has evolved and grown, even in such a short amount of time. Behind it all has been the community.

“We’ve adapted to what they need and we couldn’t have done it without them, so thank you.

“We’ve loved developing the Village into what it is today and working on how it can serve the community.”