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Posts Tagged ‘pembrokeshire’

Really Wild Festival Announces Exciting New Partnership With CADW

23 Nov

I was delighted to receive this morning the exciting news that the Directors of Really Wild Festival have set up a partnership agreement with CADW, the Welsh Government’s Historic Environment Service. This will allow them to run next year’s Really Wild festival at the medieval Bishop’s Palace, next to St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire.

What a stunning setting, right in the heart of St David’s and with a new date too, over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend, this really looks a terrific move for the hard working Really Wild team.

I do have to be open with you and confess my bias here as I have always enjoyed attending this event. The organisers have built up a strong and enthusiastic team of helpers and volunteers, focusing on their Really Wild theme. They have worked hard to build a successful event. Everyone is friendly and helpful and that makes a huge difference whether you are a producer, craft person, a visitor, a local or like me, press. Plus they keep me in the loop with what’s happening, without me having to chase them!!!!

I hope this new venue and the Bank Holiday date brings them even more success.

I’ll keep you updated on the latest news from Really Wild as we get it, which will be sent out directly to our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers as a matter of course.

Look forward to seeing you all there.

 

 
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Food Festival At Milford Marina

25 Jun

As I’ve not been for quite a few years, I decided on Saturday to pay a visit to this food festival, which is the start of Pembrokeshire Fish Week. As I’d expect from such a huge operation run by Pembrokeshire County Council, PCC, there were plenty of signs, including AA signs on my drive into Milford Haven. There were also plenty of car parking signs too with the additional bonus of polite and helpful car park attendants. No hassle either getting into the event as PCC had efficiently sent me wristbands through. You are all aware that I’m not in agreement with entrance payments, even though it was only £2.00, two adults attending, that £4.00 would by a pot of jam or chutney, a waxed cheese and have change! I agree there was a mix of entertainment and a small cookery demo area, but I do wonder if an entrance fee kept some people away, I’m sure it must have, surely not the real foodies, and maybe they’d only have bought an ice-cream but Cowpots would have been delighted to see them.

So basically a good start, despite the blustery weather, and the rain stayed away for the main part of the afternoon, sunshine would have made a huge difference for everyone, traders and punters alike, but sadly that’s one area we can’t control. But there are other areas that can be controlled and here’s my take on it. I talked to lots of traders because we had many of our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers there and a few producers that were new to us – so Ian and I had a very chatty and busy time. I had mixed views from traders on where they weresited some didn’t mind being sited by the stage area others minded a lot. I, as a punter, found it a little confusing. There were some young people playing on the stage when we arrived and they were very good indeed, and then on one side was a mixture of professional traders and some craft stalls with a mobile fast food van opposite and a seating area, which was great if the rain stayed away. I must say if I’d have been a trader trying to sell my hot food I would not have like a mobile van parked opposite me!!!! I understand the link with this mobile van is that the company is Saundersfoot based and run the St David’s festival there. But to me it takes away from the genuine small producers, I can of course see a need for these vans at bigger events but I’m not happy at seeing them at a food festival. There was a fantastic selection of hot food available

Then I moved on past a bouncy castle, a mix again of professional food producers and craft past a kid’s activity area and a small cookery demo area, followed by many charity type stands, environment stands, council stands before another run of professional food traders and at the end a very good group doing sea shanty songs, who did a sterling job. Purely from my point of view, I’d have preferred that the food guys were all together, that there was a covered area where punters good sit, chat and eat and drink they’d bought from our producers, but maybe some traders might disagree. I struggled to find one of my favourites stands
SamosaCo, I was starving and looked and looked for them but found them nearly at the end of the event. Might it work better if all hot food stands were together with the seating area I’ve already mentioned? Just another of my many thoughts I thought I’d share. From the traders’ side, would it be easier for PCC to issue a site plan so traders can book they area they want to be in? Maybe that
happens in theory, but in practice it wasn’t as slick as it could be, rather messy but there can be no doubt that there were some quality stands there.

The Milford festival received £31,671 funding from the food festival budget, which according to wag’s funding criteria would have gone to purely funding this one day event. That’s one whole lot of money for a single day and I’m not sure where the spend went, bearing in ind the traders paid around £60/£70 per stand and £20.00 for electric and of curse the punters paid to come in. Fish Week also received £25k from the Major Events Unit, sponsorship from Milford Haven Port Authority, Arts Council of Wales, plus about 16 other sponsorships.

I’d been told by a producer that there were English stands allowed in but I didn’t see that on the day. One query I did have was a trader carrying a Brazilian sauce, which in my view, had a bar code which wasn’t a UK one. The label stated, made in Truro, although it had some connection with Horeb Food Centre.

I was not impressed by the cookery demo area basically because I had no idea who was actually cooking, I couldn’t see a blackboard or a notice board giving chef and times of demos and nothing saying what they were cooking either. Checking on a
flyer I found that Ludo, from Ceredigion was one chef and Anand George from Cardiff, I’ll say again, although you are doubtless bored to tears with my saying the same thing, but here it is again, why not use local chefs? That shouldn’t be difficult with the talented chefs that abound in Pembrokeshire. But if that can’t be done why don’t festivals adopt what Caerphilly did this year and get some of the professional producers to do cookery slots, or at least offer them the opportunity of doing talks for the punters? Festivals should be there for producers but festival organisers need to give them some thought as to how they can help them stay trading!!!!

I found it difficult to do an accurate count of stands that were there, I think my count was 44 food and 42 craft, which might or might not be correct but seems to fall short of Wag’s demand that food should make up 80% of stands. There were endless charity stands and a massive stand for the local guides. I also puzzled about the value of Littlewood’s Clearance at a funded food festival. I found Puffin Produce listed on the Fish Week website, but couldn’t find them at the event until I realised they were trading under a different name, sampling potatoes and directing people to their supermarket stockists – great – I don’t think! It’s a well known fact that if money is spent locally it stays locally. I appreciate the power of the supermarkets and also that parts of Wag’s food
division actively promotes selling to supermarkets but it is not a distribution line that all can take and surely the place to do sample marketing is in the supermarket where the existing customer can then go and buy the product.

Pembrokeshire Produce Direct, PPD won my new award for the most boring stand, two guys and a small table with some literature on it. Those guys, in my view should have been much more proactive and one of them leaving the safety of their stand and start
talking to people. Yes talking to punter, asking them, where do you come from, have you heard about us and what we do, would you like to try our delivery service????? They hadn’t even brought a selection of food produce that they currently run, so there you are guys – ‘Kath’s Boring Stand Award’ is yours for your very poor effort on the day. Rumours still circulate about PPD and the lack of sales, well producers watching them in action – well not quite in action – two guys stood on a stand both with their hands in their pockets, was not only not a good look it achieved very little, but will they get paid at the end of the month? Of course they will until their funding totally runs out.

It was good to hear that some producers had done ok on the day and as I say some sunshine would have made a massive difference. None of the traders I spoke could show record sales by a long shot, and you had only had to look at the lack of food
bags being carried around to know that was true. But it was not all doom and gloom that I have been seeing at some festivals of late. My suggestion to this festival, as it is to many of them, is please don’t just rely on the feedback forms that traders are supposed to fill in before they leave, some will be honest with you, others wont if they wish to return. Take the time to talk to
the traders, when they are not busy, and there were plenty of times that they weren’t, and endeavour to find out the truth about your event, not forgetting why this event went ahead in the first place was for our producers.

I’d also like to remind you on a personal level that it makes no difference to me if this event was a success or not, but it does make a heck of a difference to the livelihoods and the future of our Best Of Welsh, BOW, producers. Our BOW producers support us with advertising and I will continue to talk to them listen to them, agree with them sometimes, tell them off at others, but fight
their corner so that they get a better deal from festival organisers and from Wag.

HAVE YOU ANY COMMENTS TO MAKE?

You have nothing to fear by leaving your comments. I and many others too, enjoy reading them, even if you disagree with me – that’s still allowed! You can be certain your details will only be known to me and that’s where they’ll stay – you have my word. You don’t even have to put your name, a pen name or nickname will suffice, we do have a large number of traders signed in – but that’s fine, it’s the content that matters, what you’re happy with, what you are cross about, what in your view needs changing, etc.

 
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25 Mile, Cardigan – Great Concept – But Check When Food Served

16 Apr

On Saturday I was driving back home from Pembrokeshire and called into Cardigan to pay a further visit to the 25 Mile establishment. It’s about a three or four weeks since I last found this place and readers, it did impress me! So much so that I was asking people if they’d been, thinking I was the only one that had been missing out, but no everyone I spoke to had never visited it because they knew nothing about it!!!

So then Kath,m ever the professional, goes into her PR mode and explains that their principle is to source products from within a 25 mile radius as the crow flies, bearing in mind there are always exceptions like coffee. Actually it was their coffee supplier, Preseli Coffee, who told me about it and as I rate their Preseli Coffee enormously, that was sufficient encouragement for me to track down 25 Mile Cardigan. So my first visit was a huge success, wonderful food, great service,

I loved their local food concept and having details of where they’d sourced their products, was a bonus. The young lady that served us was delightful, smiley, helpful and friendly; even I couldn’t ask or want for more. But on Saturday, it all fell apart because when Ian and I went in and were checking out the menu which is on huge blackboards on the wall, a young man asked us if we wanted food, which we did, but then told us they stopped serving at 3.00 and the time then was 3.10pm. I’d walked in under a sing above the door which said ‘Local Eating House’ and there was another blackboard outside saying ‘Open All Day’. We did look, but couldn’t see lunchtime food as 12 – 3.00 anywhere, but there we are. The young man said everywhere in Cardigan stops food at 3.00, which was obviously acceptable and made sense to him, but not to me.

Firstly I’m not even sure that statement was true, but Wales relies on tourists, and it was still in theory,  the Easter holidays. He certainly wouldn’t know we were locals or tourists but either way the kitchen was closed, and we weren’t even offered a sandwich. So there was no option but for us to walk out. My suggestion is, if it’s vital that 25 Mile has to close for a break at 3.00, which obviously has to be their choice, just have a board or sign outside giving times of food service. It’s easy with hindsight to say that I shouldn’t have been tempted to pay a second visit to 25 Mile, I should have played safe, stayed in Pembrokeshire and visited
again either The Shed at Porthgain or Morawelon on the Parrog, Newport!!!

They certainly impressed me the first time, but ………………….

Hopefully some of our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers might be lucky to be supplying them

 
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Deli Delights – St Dogmaels

10 Apr

After the disappointment of Newport local produce market being cancelled on Easter Monday because of the rain……………………I was not in the best of moods driving back home, when I’d a local shopping list unfulfilled. So I decided to return via St
Dogmaels, which is in one of the many picturesque parts of Pembrokeshire and call into Deli Delights. I was confident that checking out their superb deli counter would be the best way to cheer my visitors up.

Following a move from Cardigan, owner and deli guru, Mandy Wilcox  along with her team have done a superb job
setting up in St Dogs. As well as a delicious deli counter, there are tables and chairs inside, which was just the temptation we needed to grab a table and order Welsh bacon sandwiches and a Welsh Ploughman’s. Then there was the difficult decision to decide what to drink, and spoilt for choice was certainly the problem. Mandy’s selection of leaf teas and coffees show that this is a lady who knows and understands the food trade and her local market. I knew I was in safe hands taking my visitors there, as I’d been to Deli Delights when they first moved to St Dogs. My confidence was justified as no-one was disappointed, quite the opposite, we were delighted with all our food and drink. So much so we stayed for ages, relishing yet another round of drinks as we continued our chatting.

Mandy is very supportive of local food producers, but also has a great selection of national and international products. If you are ever stuck for a gift idea for a food lover, then give a thought to a food hamper and let Mandy sort it all out for you.

Trust me, and make a point of calling in if you are ever in the area. Deli Delights is at 28 High Street, it’s really easy to find and there are tables and chairs outside when the sun breaks through!!!!

Super products, super service – you cannot ask for more.

 

 
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Newport Local Produce Market

10 Apr

Easter often gives me the chance to go out and about on the Bank Holiday Friday and Monday, such a pleasant change from being chained to my computer.

I went to Haverfordwest market on Friday and then onto Newport on Monday. Trade was reasonable at Haverfordwest which was good to hear after a lot of poor reports have come into me.

However Newport was a very different story. Wind didn’t stop actually play, but the Newport Market Manager decided to cancel the market because of a forecast of gusts of wind over 30mph. The reason for this is it’s a limit imposed by St Dogmaels market, whose stalls Newport use, for Health & Safety reasons!!!

Pathetic doesn’t even cover this scenario, especially as St Dogmaels ran an Easter Fair themselves on Easter Monday, so Newport had to hire in stalls from Haverfordwest! So this was puzzling. Yes of course with that forecast, they’d have had to take extra care, but they’ve done this in the past, I think it comes under ‘sandbags and commonsense’.

I really couldn’t believe it. The Market Manager had listened to the weather report; gusts of wind were forecast, so the decision was made that the market would not run.

I assume that the Market Manager responsible for this decision has:

  1. Never worked as a market trader – or
  2. Never been self-employed when gusts of wind just don’t stop play, especially when you have the added pressure to earn some money to survive.

Surely I cannot be the only person that goes shopping in the wind and rain, can I? No of course not, otherwise most of Wales would at times be short of many basic food stuffs, sorry I’m being silly.

I was, and still am, cross with this feeble excuse for cancelling a weekly market as weekly markets are something I have been championing for years. Then Newport starts up a weekly market and I’m told by  traders that business is quite good and much appreciated by the locals – brilliant – winners all round. As I regularly travel around Pembrokeshire, I’d seen a sign telling of their Monday market, but this was my first chance to visit, so I was also very disappointed.

I have two main moans, firstly for the producers. At least three traders made contact with the market manager on the Sunday  afternoon/evening, one as late as 7.30pm to be told the market was going ahead. The Market Manager then sent out an email at 8.30pm Sunday night to say the market was cancelled. Did he/she really expect  all the traders to be sat checking their computers on Sunday night? Or have these traders all been making so much money that they can afford email phones!!!!! Was it was too much trouble for the Market Manager to telephone every trader? Well obviously it was, because it didn’t happen. But I want to
know why not?

What about the physical work the traders had already had to do to get themselves and their stock organised for Easter Monday? Vegetables had been picked, cakes baked, sausages made and some extra animals killed. To prepare produce takes planning and that is  not something that can be achieved in 5 minutes, some traders have to plan a week ahead. Then my concern moves to the locals who had possibly decided not to do a huge supermarket shop over the weekend knowing that their market would be
operating as usual on Monday. Local shoppers supporting local producers, isn’t this how it should happen?

If the Market Manager is going to continue flapping about Health & Safety procedures, then why not close the road as normal every week? Newport has the legal signs and cones, so that’s not a problem and then any traders that wish to trade in inclement weather, have the ability to do. Traders could also bring their own stands, so that would also save you a job, wouldn’t it? What I saw on Easter Monday morning, was a few determined traders running around Newport trying to find somewhere to trade from.

The more I think about this cancellation, the more puzzled I am. What difference does it make to that ‘wise’ Market Manger who decided to cancel this Easter Monday market, what did the wind and rain matter to them? Unless he/she had simply decided they’d just rather not work at all. If it’s a windy, wet day the people that are taking the risk are the traders, no-one else. If the weather deters locals attending, then obviously traders’ takings will be down, but the traders will have already paid for their stands so where is the loss for Newport? Does the Market Manager get paid regardless whether a market is run or not?

I know I’m not alone, that weekly markets are well accepted by locals and they do like the ability to do their shopping locally each and every week, it really is that simple. I wonder how many people like me decided to take the opportunity to visit a Monday or Friday market that they can only visit on this Bank Holiday?

The organisers must be loyal and supportive to the traders and the local people – goodness knows how much trade was lost through the  holiday makers that were about. I hope the Market Manager issues an apology to those poor traders who lost out big time on Easter Monday and my congratulations to those few traders who decided to trade anyway.

I’m sure some of our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers will keep me updated about Newport.

 

 
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More Rumours About Pembrokeshire Produce Direct

30 Jan

Well my grapevine is still rather busy of the topic of PPD and I can understand why.

I’ve nothing ’official’ on this, but I’ve been told by a couple of producers that PPD are now no longer holding stock. It appears that when a customer places an order, the relevant producers are then told. One producer was given an order for just three items and expected to deliver that to PPD in Narbeth, Pembrokeshire. So logistically, how can this work as a business? Firstly for the producer and also for the customer?

Customers are supposed to place their orders by 9.00am on Tuesday for delivery on that Thursday. PPD state that they deliver throughout Pembrokeshire and now also Carmarthen and the surrounding area. I’m not sure how many vans PPD have on the road, but that’s quite a large area to cover on a Thursday, IF they have a lot of deliveries. But I’m still puzzled as to how delivering an order of three items can be cost-effective for producers, can anyone clarify and help me here as I struggle to see how PDD operates. Actually I’m still waiting to find someone that uses PPD!

I’ve just been on PPD’s website and looked down the list of producers. I note some of our Best Of Welsh & Borders  producers there, so hopefully I’ll get some further updates soon. But I was astounded to find listed amongst the producers, Haverfordwest Male Voice Choir – why would they be included in a producers’ list? I know that choir produces a superb sound, but rather puzzled about what food they might supply……..

I cannot believe that with a business set up as this is, that an up-to-date website isn’t a priority. So if that’s the reality, why is PPD’s website so out-of-date?

 
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More Brickbats and A Bouquet For National Botanical Gardens

30 Jan

I’m not sure whether to thank or curse the only Best Of  Welsh & Borders producer who told me early last week that this event was taking place! But as I’d been told I went onto the National Botanical Gardens, NBG,  website and although I could find a few details about the event itself, I couldn’t find a list of which producers had agreed to attend – so once again, I was not impressed.

Regular readers will know that being in the media, I do like to know what is going on and press releases are generally the simplest and quickest way to communicate to the press. But for reasons best known to them, as far as their food events are concerned, NBG prefer to keep me in the dark. Needless to say to my regular readers, this makes me furious and not just on my account, but for the fact that food producers are paying to be there for the whole weekend, whilst NBG can’t be bothered to send out even a single press release. It simply isn’t fair. There will come a day, hopefully not too far ahead, when all producers will, before handing over their hard-earned cash, ask what promotion and marketing is being done for each event. Of course there is no guarantee that they will be told the truth, but at least if they ask the question we might gently persuade organisers to think and plan ahead.

But there was some good news about this event which was that entry was free both to the gardens and to the food event, but that really only emphasises the fact that NBG should have been shouting long and hard about this event.    

I arrived on the Sunday and the weather was wet and wild and I was directed to the overfill car park, despite the main car park being at least half empty. When I queried one of the attendants I was told that the main car park was for disabled only, well fair enough but why not have a large sign saying disabled only instead of just cones blocking it off and an attendant way the majority of cars to the overfill area? I must also say that the ground on the over flow park was in need of some care and attention. On leaving the event and I checked some cars on the main car park; I couldn’t see that many blue badges but quite a lot of NBG member’s badges!!!!   Disappointed not to see large signs at entrance about the food event and wonder how people knew that it was actually going on and where it was. 

I have no idea who laid out the stands this year, as I was told that David Hardy was no longer doing it, but not sure if this was accurate or not.  There were not as many stands here as last year but when I spoke to a lot of the traders, many had really had a lot of hassle to get a stand in the first place. One trader sent 10 emails before getting a stand, whilst another was told there were no stands left by one person and then was accepted by another NBG staff member. A regular tradestand holder just visited the event because they’d been told again no space available, although they’d been supporting them in the past, so how fair was that? So those stories were not good to hear and actually totally unnecessary, as one trader described it, “left and right hands just aren’t related to each other here at the NBG.”  And I couldn’t have summed it up better myself!

It was rather quiet in the dome when I got there about 11.30 and rather chilly, quite a few traders didn’t even take their coats off, but the good news and the bouquet for NBG was that Saturday was apparently very busy and quite a few traders had sold out. So for January, for an event a lot of traders were not holding out high hopes for and so had no doubt not taken huge stocks with them, Saturday did work, so well done. I was told that the localCarmarthenpaper and the local radio had promoted the event, which is great if your main market is just Carmarthenshire, but on Saturday I spoke to some enthusiastic local foodies from Pembrokeshire, but they of course knew nothing about this event. If they had they’d have gone, because they love the chance to buy local food.

Saturday also brought to light the fact that many people had come out on a beautiful day weather-wise, and used the food event as a way of taking samples for themselves and their family. But not content with sampling once, some then decided that they’d take another trip around the stands and repeat the sampling process. This is a difficult situation and a real no- winner, producers are happy for would-be buyers to taste before they buy, ask questions etc., but just taking advantage of producers when you have no intention of buying is very unfair. Like the saying – there’s no free lunch, there are no free samples either!  How we educate the Welsh public to understand that samples are not free is another quandary…… 

 I also heard rumours that NBG thought that the clientele or visitors to the event, was ‘not quite their market ‘and so intend to charge and entry fee next year. This poses two questions with all the public money that has gone into the NBG, surely any tax payer is their market. Charging though may ease the situation of hoards scavenging for samples so can I suggest a compromise. Why not charge £5.00 per car, and then give 5 x £1.00 vouchers that can be redeemed at any of the food stands? The traders can then redeem their vouchers at the end of the day. This shouldn’t discourage those wanting to visit the Food event and purchase, but may put a small hurdle in front of those looking for a cheap day out with free lunch for all the family.     

As last year, another annoyance was that NBG opened their café in the dome. I read a notice by the café’ saying that it wasn’t always open during winter season, but for this two days NBG must decided that they couldn’t lose this opportunity to make some money, so the café opened for the weekend. Well bully for you guys, I hope you made plenty. You obviously had no thought for the traders whose money you’d already taken, plus more for electric no doubt. Some of these traders were selling a wonderful selection of hot food, pasties, pies etc. not to mention Welsh Brew tea that had a stand there, as did Preseli coffee, whose coffee in my view cannot be bettered. I’ll never find that situation fair when surely the objective should be to get people buying food from the traders, eating it there, before going back for more to take home with them. But have I got that wrong? Is the objective that everyone should be there to support NBG? 

Another worrying factor as grabbed a seat to drink my Preseli coffee in comfort, was watching two unrelated families, also grab a table and chairs and then both promptly unpacked their picnics and eat them. I resisted the temptation to ask both families what they were doing here, but maybe they had just come to the visit the gardens on a wet windy Sunday with snow forecast with no idea the food event was taking place. Wonder if they came from Pembrokeshire or like me from Ceredigion…………………..  

I’d love to get your feedback if you were there this weekend.

 
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Further Success For The Really Wild Christmas Market

12 Dec

Saturday saw me back into Pembrokeshire once again, this time driving over to St David’s to check out the Christmas Fair. A new event held at Oriel Y Parc, it was a wonderful success, very busy when I was there and my congratulations to all those invlved in the organisation, you should be pleased and proud of what they achieved.

The weather was on their side and that was a bonus for them, without a doubt after the last few harsh winters, and the venue worked well. It was a long time since I visited Oriel Y Parc and I pleased to report that with Paula Ellis now in charge there, she’s really got settled in and made lots of changes which all look very positive for the future. The food in the café was an obvious one and really was an improvement – the last time I went into the café, I left cross because there was a distinct lack of Welsh food. I think it’s Kate that now has the café franchise, so my suggestion is that when you are next in that area, do pay them a visit. We stayed for lunch and it was delicious – do try their homemade soup.

But now back to the market, which was held both outside in the forecourt and inside the gallery area. The exhibitors were offering good local produce from jams, chutneys cider, beer to delicious cheese and honey. I was also impressed with the quality of craft there and it was a really good opportunity to buy some beautiful and unusual gifts. There was a real festive spirit with reindeer, carriage rides into the city, Father Christmas and some appropriate festive performances from the St David’s Cathedral Boys Choir.

Well done guys, it was a great event managed brilliantly by Julia & Brian Powdrill and helpers along with the team of Oriel Y Parc. I hope you can find the time to make this a regular event.

 
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Update Pembrokeshire Produce Direct

06 Dec

I’m sure our Best Of Welsh & Borders producers will be glad of this latest information that’s come through, from a good source, which I hope will help with your queries on this project.

PPD submitted an application for a project under the Supplies Chain Efficiencies Scheme of the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007 -2013, funded by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development and for the Welsh Government.

Their objective is to develop a supply chain for primary Produce in Pembrokeshire, south Ceredigion and west Carmarthenshire.

The project started on 04/03/2009 and ends on 03/02/2014

It is to support a collective marketing initiative undertaken by 72 producers in Pembrokeshire, southern Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Swansea.

The total cost of the project is: £793,272 and PPD were awarded £469,530

I am also told that Pembrokeshire County Council has not put any financial funding support into PPD. Which does not agree with my being told that PPD did get an interest free loan as their grant had not arrived. PCC have supplied support as a coordinating and facilitating role as part of its business support for food producers in Economic Development. The idea of the project is to help local producers from Pembrokeshire and neighbouring counties to come together as a cooperative to assist in selling and distributing their produce to a wider customer base.   

 

 
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Fishguard Autumn Weekend

01 Nov

Fishguard took the risk of running their Farmers Market on a weekly basis some time ago.  I admire them taking this gamble and congratulate them on working so hard to make this move. When I go shopping, it’s on a weekly basis and although I travel about a bit at weekends, I can never remember when the various markets run – the third Saturday in the month simply does not work for me. So knowing that it’s Saturday, I’m in Pembrokeshire, I can rely on Fishguard market being open – well it’s a huge plus. 

When Ian and I entered the Town Hall where the Farmers’ Market is held, their short harvest festival service was coming to an end but without the slightest interruption to the market as others who weren’t interested in the service, simply continued shopping.  But what this managed to achieve was set the tone of the day as a real community event.

The day before, Friday, the church had done a wine tasting and bread making in the Church, which was a huge success with over 300 people coming into the church.  

There was music too.  The Community Brass Band in the foyer of the Town Hall as well as an acoustic guitar and singer in the yard at the rear of the Hall.  This music added to the atmosphere, with a volume was not too high that it prevented people talking to each other and making their purchases.

There had been a few flyers distributed but when we went into some local shops in the town, their view was great idea and pleased to see new events taking place, but please tell them what is happening and when. That’s our view as we had no publicity as press prior to the event.

I am sure though with the positive attitude from this event that these niggles can be remedied next year.

It does prove though that a successful event can be put on with effort from a group of people without the assistance of the Welsh Government food festival funding.

 
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