A TRADER who has been a presence in Darwen Markets for more than 30 years is set to leave and sell her stall on.

Karen Hawthornthwaite, 46, started up her business Candy Rush from scratch nearly four years ago in the three-day building.

But the mum-of-three started helping out her mum Shirley Pilling with her card stall when she was 12 and lent a hand to other traders wherever she could.

Mrs Hawthornthwaite said it was a ‘tough’ decision after her ‘positive’ move to the six-day building.

The grandmother-of-two said: “It will be so sad to go and I’m going to find it hard telling all my customers about me going.

“I have made so many friends and the market has been my life really.

“I remember helping out my mum on the card stall and lots of other traders when I was younger.

“Hopefully somebody will take this great little business on.

“The customers have been amazing. The best thing about working on the market is you get to hear people’s life stories and that’s really interesting.”

Candy Rush stocks a wide range of sweets and chocolate with traditional favourites such as pear drops, black and white mints and sherbet pips.

It was one of several stalls that move to the Victorian building after it was decided by Blackburn with Darwen Council that the three-day building should be closed and demolished.

Mrs Hawthornthwaite is now set to start training to become a teaching assistant after wanting to do it all her life.

She will be doing some voluntary work at Avondale Primary School soon.

She said: “I wanted to have some more time with my children and I have always wanted to be a teacher.

“The move for everyone to the six-day building is still a really great thing but I felt it was time for a career change.

“I hope to keep in touch with everyone.”

Mrs Hawthornthwaite will leave the market in October but if the stall sells she will go earlier.

The stall will be going on the market for around £6,000 which will include fridges and freezers, stock and a candy cart for outside business.

The market will reopen today following the bank holiday from 8.30am to 12.30pm.