It is great news that St James’s Market has been voted the Best Wholesale Market at a national conference.

The market, off Wakefield Road, is one of Bradford’s best kept secrets.

Trading from 5am, its stall holders provide a wide range of fresh fruit, vegetables, exotic produce and pre-packed supplies for businesses across the district.

What is more, it is now operating in an extremely environmentally-friendly way, with more than four-fifths of its waste now recycled.

And it’s not just the wholesale market that is worth shouting about: the district has a fine range of indoor markets offering fresh quality produce and other goods. But it is fair to say that, as a district, we don’t make enough of the quality we have in our markets generally.

The Oastler Centre in Bradford, for example, has a fine range of fresh produce and top quality stalls, but it seems to be under-valued and under-promoted and is, therefore, often overlooked by a large selection of Bradford shoppers.

Much is made of the decline in city centre shopping in Bradford but we should answer that with the retort that, in the Oastler Centre, we have one of the best indoor markets in Yorkshire and there are plenty of other good ones elsewhere in the district including Kirkgate Market in the city centre and those in Shipley, Keighley, Skipton and Bingley.

They’re not all big but you don’t have to be to offer a high standard of produce and to be a very useful local facility.

What is vital, though, if they are to thrive, is that they are well used – and that means we need to stop hiding their lights under a bushel.