FOUR new Sunday market initiatives are set to boost trade in a bid to rejuvenate St Albans city centre.

The themed street markets are incentives by the City Centre Management Board. City Centre Manager Melvyn Teare said: "We want to try to increase visitors to the city on Sundays and encourage more retailers to open their doors.

"We currently have between 65 and 70 per cent of retailers opening on a Sunday and we want to bring that number up.

"We also want to encourage the tourist information office to open and the museums to open earlier."

The series of themed events are planned to attract people to the city centre, safe in the knowledge that something will be happening on a Sunday.

There will be a craft market running once a month beginning in March. This will be run from outside the Civic Centre and local businesses, artists and craftmakers will be encouraged to sell and exhibit there.

A farmers' market will also run once a month from the Town Hall square. Local produce will be available, anything from home-made jam to goats' cheese and garden-grown apples.

The charity markets will give local volunteers the chance to raise money for their causes. Any local charity group that wants the chance to raise its profile and sell goods can run a stall, not just high street charity shops.

Mr Teare said: "This would be a good opportunity for local voluntary organisations to demonstrate to the general public what they do and who they are doing it for."

The entertainment market will also run once a month and according to Mr Teare will run along the lines of street entertainment: "It is about offering space for local amateur dramatics or performers to advertise or demonstrate their skills".

Places will not be restricted to simply dramatic groups and societies.

Mr Teare went on to say: "We would welcome applications from local schools that might want to attract publicity for a forthcoming production. Anyone that wants to can apply."

St Albans Market Traders Association chairman Ken Morcom said: "We do not think these plans will affect the normal market business, they are tightly themed so Wednesday and Saturdays trade should not be affected".

Mr Morcom added: "They've got to do something to brighten up Sundays. Let's see if this works."

The markets are due to start in March and will run through to October.