The organisers of Burnham-On-Sea’s Food and Drink Festival have launched a new bursary scheme offering up to five free trading pitches at the Spring festival on Saturday 28th May.
The Bursary aims to help local food and drink producers who have not engaged in retail trade before.
Festival Director Sarah Milner Simonds said: “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 continued: “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 of over 16,000 at each of the 2015 festivals and we hope that opportunity will be seized on by new traders.”
One of the previous bursary award benefactors is Berrow Beef & Lamb whose owner Sarah Welland said: “Being awarded a bursary to attend the Burnham-On-Sea Food & Drink Festival was a massive boost for us at the early stages of establishing Berrow Beef.”
“We had access to expert advice on how to get the best out of the day, free publicity, as well as being able to trade for free. Due to the huge success it turned out to be, both in terms of sales on the day and follow-up business, we intend being at every future festival!”
The bursary is for food and drink producers who have not engaged in retail trade before. You may have been producing and selling direct to restaurant or a business but not direct to the public. But time is running out to apply since applications need to be in before 30th March and can be downloaded here.
