Organisers of Burnham-On-Sea’s Food & Drink Festival have this week launched their Festival Bursary scheme, which provides up to five free trading pitches at the event on 24th May.
The bursary programme is open to food and drink producers who have not engaged in retail trade before.
Festival Director Sarah Milner Simonds told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Through the Food & Drink festival we have shown our commitment to supporting local traders to build sustainable businesses and now we want to help new businesses make their first steps into trading. We recognise we have an opportunity to assist in developing the skills, abilities and knowledge of all food and drink producers.”
Fellow festival Director Beverley Milner Simonds added: “The scheme is designed to encourage business start-up and self-employment within Somerset.”
“We are providing up to five discretionary bursary awards for pitches at the May Food & Drink festival. We had a great footfall – over 7000 – at each of the 2013 festivals and we hope that opportunity will be seized on by new traders.”
One of last year’s benefactors, The Chilli Alchemist, Jay Webley, pictured right, said: “I was so pleased to be offered a bursary from the festival as it provided me with an opportunity to start building my customer base.”
“Having invested heavily, the financial respite was most welcome and a brilliant idea that should be encouraged and adopted by other event organisers. I had a great day trading at last year’s festival; the feedback from customers was great and the support from other traders really encouraged me.”
Those wishing to apply for more information may have been producing and selling direct to restaurant or a business, but not direct to the public.
Applications need to be in before 14th March and can be downloaded from www.burnhamonseafoodfestival.org.
