At Last, Food & Drink Festivals & Events Fund Announced

At long last Wag food have now informed me that a fund to support food festivals and events opened yesterday. Follows is their release:

A fund to support food and drink festivals and events across Wales opens for applications on Wednesday 1 May.

The small grant scheme supports festivals and events to add value to the industry in Wales whilst improving visitor access to and awareness of Welsh food and drink.

The fund will help address the key actions of the Welsh Government’s ‘Vision for the Food & Drink Industry’.

It also aims to encourage collaboration and co-operation between Welsh hospitality and food and drink businesses to source more local food and drink, and to increase the prevalence of Welsh food and drink on menus and retail offering.

The grant scheme will open for applications between 1 May 2024 and 7 June 2024 for interested organisations who wish to participate and can demonstrate their project/event delivers on the defined scheme outcomes between 1 May 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca Davies, said:

“This fund will provide support for food festivals and events which have innovative ideas on the promotion of Welsh food and drink. 

“Welsh food and drink is going from strength to strength, with a number of new and exciting high-quality products available.  I’m pleased to announce this scheme is now open, to support festivals and events in showcasing the excellent quality of food and drink we have here in Wales.

“The aim of the scheme is to generate greater connections between food festivals and events with agriculture, food processing, tourism destinations and the food service sector. This will enable us to capitalise on the economic benefits while also providing visitors with a unique, high quality and distinctive cultural experience.”

Full details about the scheme including eligibility and how to apply is available on Business Wales at Food Tourism and Culture | Business Wales – Food and drink (gov.wales)

Well I must say at least there is funding, which some of us were doubting for this year, but the delay in informing organisers is always the same. But for organisers it is always a worry can they run without some funding? This year, the explanation was the new First Minister and new Minister for Rural Affairs. But for me I’d prefer if organisers knew at the start of the year. With so many organisers and their committees being volunteers early funding notice would be more than helpful. I have spent years and years asking for this but to no avail, nothing really changes on that front. I’m just impressed that so many people give up their free time to support our food and drink industry. The scheme is worth just £192,000, which in fairness is better than nothing, but in reality that amount isn’t going to go that far. I have yet to scan through the boxes the organisers will have to tick, but I can only hope Wag Food & Drink have not just regurgitated the same old forms.