A SOCIAL media campaign featuring wartime-style slogans such as Shop for Victory and Your Markets Need You begins this week encouraging people to use their local markets.

Run by Bradford Council’s market service the Facebook campaign uses Second World War Ministry of Information-style slogans with photos of Bradford market traders.

Officers have been working with the University of Bradford’s Digital Media Working Academy to design the campaign, which starts on social media tomorrow using the hashtag #ShopForVictory.

As well as the images, there will be videos of local traders discussing the benefits of shopping at local markets.

The artwork for the campaign, which times with the national Love Your Local Market fortnight, will be used on the Bradford Market’s Facebook page and promoted on Twitter and Instagram, as well as online at bradfordmarkets.com.

The campaign comes after a major shake-up of markets in a £15m Council regeneration scheme was announced last month.

Under the plans, the former Marks & Spencer building in Darley Street would become a new food market, to replace the Oastler Centre.

The Oastler Centre, car park and former Morrisons store would then be demolished for housing, in a bid to get more people living in the city.

The Council-run Kirkgate Market would get a £2.5m to £3m modernisation and would focus on non-food goods.

In addition the North Parade area would also be set for a revamp, with £2m of public realm works designed to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

Colin Wolstenholme, the Council’s markets manager, said of the social media campaign: “With this campaign taking place during the Love your Local Market national campaign we really want to highlight the value of our markets and shopping locally whilst demonstrating the importance our markets play in the heart of our communities.”

Simon Couth, head of the Working Academy at the University of Bradford, said: “We love what the Bradford Markets team are trying to achieve in promoting the traders and what they offer. They want to attract new shoppers into the markets and we hope that this campaign will help them to reach some different audiences. Our students involved in the filming have certainly become regular shoppers!”

Oastler Centre traders involved in the campaign also had their say.

Gunther Giangregorio, from Roswitas Deli, said: “Bradford has got a very diverse community and that’s reflected in all of the food and businesses in the market.”

John Hutchinson, from J Hutchinson Butchers, said: “As soon as you walk in through this door, no matter where customers go they are saving money.”

Karen Wood, from Woodies Cafe, said: “I think the community needs the markets, I think we give a different kind of service because we give a service with a smile.”

Chris Holmes, from Stickey’s Honey, added: “I’m a beekeeper in Yorkshire and I’m quite happy to sell all my honey in Yorkshire. There are five million customers within 40 miles of here.”