An outreach of the Sawtell Uniting Church, the markets were organised by church volunteers and developed from a car boot sale in 1998 to a community market with up to 70 stalls.

As the Sawtell Uniting Church is a not-for-profit organisation, all profits were put back into the Sawtell community, helping run events such as the Sawtell Carols by Candlelight and ANZAC Dawn Service, while also donating to local community groups.

Volunteers Kath and Graham Willcocks said they enjoyed the contact they had with the community over the years, and were both sad to see the markets ending.

“We did it over the years because we loved the people – but it is very much like a full-time job,” Graham said.

“Lots of weeks of planning went into the monthly markets, but it was all worth it to bring people together.

“The church council have been discussing this issue for over a year to try and decide whether we could keep the markets going, but unfortunately we’ve come to this decision.”

Kath said: “People’s lives go in different directions, and that’s what has happened here – some younger volunteers have left for university, and some older volunteers have passed away,

“We want to thank all previous volunteers and their families, and especially the Sawtell community for supporting the markets over the years.”

If you would like to come and grab that last bargain, drop in this Saturday for the final markets, from 7.30am-2pm at the Uniting Church, 24 Elizabeth Street, Sawtell.