Food Festival Organisers Lose Patience
Food festival funding has always given organisers hassle. They have no idea each year what is happening as regards funding, in fact Wag F&D don’t appear to think food festival organisers should be kept in the loop. I feel that Wag F&D think they are doing organisers a favour offering them any money and perhaps they expect food festival organisers to be grateful for crumbs from the Wag F&D table.
I’ve been talking to organisers, or more accurately they have been talking to me. ‘Most’ are reluctant to complain to Wag F&D directly in case that goes against them and they are blackballed. OK that would be childish of Wag F&D but it has happened in the past and this is from a journalist who was prevented of asking questions of Wag’s Press office!!
For organisers running festivals in May & June organisers were told very late by Cwyain that there was some funding available that they could apply for. Well some festivals did apply but I’m told were unable to comply with all Wag F&D’s tick boxes as their preparations were nearly finished. I’m not sure why Wag F&D couldn’t have contacted all festival organisers in January explaining the plan for this year’s funding. I thought that was an easy job but it can’t have been because it never happened. Instead organisers were worrying as to whether their festival could be viable at all this year. It is worth remembering that most festivals are not sitting on large sums in their bank allowing them to run if Wag F&D funding didn’t appear. How is this fair?
Then from 1st July more festival news in that festivals running for the rest of the year could apply for funding but paperwork had to be into Wag F&D by 31st July. This time though Cwyain were not involved, instead Wag F&D were doing the paperwork themselves. No reason why the change mid-year, but please don’t feel sorry for Cwyain as I understand their funding as a Quango continues through additional work given to their parent Quango company Menter a Busnes. But how can organisers do their job when they have no idea how much funding they might get and when. This is a ridiculous situation to put these people in.
Now I’ve been critical of Wag F&D for too many years to count but this really does take the biscuit for poor organisation, lack of communication and total confusion. Yes this food festival funding is a shambles. I am not prepared to highlight the festivals that Ian and I have talked to, that wouldn’t be fair and is not how we work. But please bear in mind when you as food producers are applying for trade stands, the additional problems organisers have had to face to get their event to run this year.
I’m sure Wag F&D will say they didn’t know until late if food festival funding was available this year and we are all very familiar with Wag themselves saying budgets are tight. Well it isn’t the first time we’ve heard this and most certainly it will not be the last, but meantime Wag have found the cash to buy Cardiff Airport and continue to pour money into it and they also bought a farm near the Green Man Festival, but that is a puzzle as to why they bothered shelling out for that.
I think the message Wag F&D need to grasp is to communicate to food festival organisers, keep them in the loop and whilst they are doing that they could include the press too.
May I refer you to two previous articles across both Welsh Food Bites and Welsh Country that add to this demoralising situation.
www.welshfoodbites.co.uk/how-is-the-gross-value-of-food-and-drink-in-wales-measured/
8 August 2023 @ 09:11
I dont think it’s just organisers losing patience I’m sure you have had enough of this lot, more so when you have lost the only wag contact that listened to you and Ian. That is a huge blow not just for you but for us as well, that contact and rapport you had was vital but at least he’s gone onto a very good job!
I’ve read a comment about this lot saying not fit for purpose and sorry I must agree from what I can see and learn. As you constantly say nothing changes or improves unless you are one of the favoured exporters of food and drink.
this food festival funding is a total shambles. Surely this dept. knows how important festivals and markets are to producers but reading this post guess they don’t know and too busy to find out the basics of what we need.
8 August 2023 @ 11:00
It is depressing read this site but I’m not being rude Kath, it is just that this dept doesn’t get us and what we need, festivals and markets are essential to us. Think I’m right that wag food don’t look after markets but festivals are theirs and it makes me cross that they cannot get it right. You keep saying they don’t learn and you are right.
Who’d want to run a festival unless it is backed by the council?
I have no idea what else you can do, you are banging your head again on the thick brick Wag wall.
8 August 2023 @ 11:43
Best you give up battling with wag food and drink they must be driving you to distraction going over the same problems every year about funding. Your wag contact is no longer there so you are stuck. Please keep this site going it is the only way we find out what’s going on, know it isn’t fair on you but please do.
Hope to see you at Cardigan fest.
10 August 2023 @ 11:07
Reading this site I can only conclude that wag food and drink are out of touch with reality living in their bubble and that means they have no concept of the stress they are putting many festival organisers under. I’ve moaned about festivals to you Kath, as no point trying to talk to Wag food and drink, and know there’s little you can do now your contact in that office has gone, but this situation goes from bad to worse.
14 August 2023 @ 10:33
In a way I can’t believe what is going on but from my chats with other traders and organsiers I can and find this beyond stupid. Who’s in charge here?
Has it got worse because most of the staff are still WFH?
Kath sorry to hear the guy you and Ian worked with in this dept. has left because he seemed to be the only person you found who understood what was happening outside the F&D bubble.
The future is frightening in Welsh food & drink
23 August 2023 @ 11:30
You’d think after more than a couple of decades funding food festivals Wag food and drink would have a system that worked and not put organsiers in such tough situations.
Why anyone – other than a council would run a food festival for Wag beats me and I think when these are so vital for small producers it is about time it was a fair and reasoanble system to get money from Wag.
thanks for keeping us in the loop Kath