Description
Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER (FVL) are offering this unique and fully funded opportunity to take part in a specialist Wild Food training programme, designed and delivered by Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods. This programme has been developed to help small businesses (existing and new starts) to develop foraging-based enterprises in the FVL LEADER area (follow links to see the boundary map of this area).
The course is designed to:
- Expand your working knowledge of edible and useful wild plants, fungi and seaweeds across the seasons
- Develop guiding, teaching and presentation skills
- Support the innovation, development and marketing of wild food based events, menus and products
- Promote ethical, sustainable and safe foraging practices
- Establish successful wild food based businesses
What does the course involve?
- 7 full-day indoor and outdoor training events at selected locations across the FVL area between March and November 2019
- 1 day field trip to a coastal location outwith the FVL area
- 5 day field trip to Finland to meet other foragers and foraging based businesses August 2019
- Course delivered by Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods, with guest teachers that have particular fields of expertise
- Design and delivery of foraging events and products for a region-wide foraging festival in September 2019
- Mentoring of new projects and businesses
Who can apply?
- Individuals who live and/or run a business, or aspire to run a business, with a focus on wild food, in the FVL area
- Some prior foraging knowledge is required for aspiring foraging guides, but is not essential for food businesses/chefs
- Anyone who feels passionate about incorporating wild food in their current or future business, and has a strong commitment to attending the entire course curriculum
We invite applications from the following types of participants (but not restricted to), based or operating in the FVL LEADER area:
- Chefs
- Owners of restaurants/cafes
- Owners of existing food businesses thinking of product development
- People thinking of setting up new food businesses which will involve wild food
- Outdoor education and activity providers, or walking guides/rangers
- People thinking of starting a business offering foraging walks/experiences
What does it cost?
- The whole course, including all aspects of the overseas trip apart from travel insurance cost, is fully funded for successful applicants (actual value around £2400 per person)
Participants are asked to contribute £250 towards the programme, which will be fully refunded to them at the end of the programme if they have kept their commitments as outlined in the letter of agreement.
If the costs pose a barrier for you to take part, please get in touch with us at the time of application.
- Successful applicants must be able to travel at their own cost to the Scottish locations
Further information and applications:
For a full description of the course curriculum, its objectives, how to apply, training dates, the commitment required from applicants, and the boundary map of the FVL area, click here.
Please read the following information before booking a Galloway Wild Foods event.
EVENT LOCATION
The general event location is provided in the event description, and in your booking confirmation. This location is usually an approximate location (eg. “Within 30 minutes drive of XXX”), so that you can consider and plan the area you need to get to prior to booking.
For general information on visiting Galloway for events, including recommended accommodation, see here.
Detailed event information, including exact meeting place, will be sent to the email address you provide on booking in the week prior to the event. This allows me to account for the often fickle nature of wild plants and fungi and select the optimum location for our walk – which can be especially important for fungi forays.
It is important that you add mark@gallowaywildfoods.com and markleewilliams@googlemail.com to your email contacts/whitelist or the information email may get caught in your spam filters. This is extremely important if you have a .hotmail email account as they are notorious for having very sensitive spam filters.
The detailed event information email will be sent in the week before the event – sometimes as little as 3 days prior to the event. There is no need to badger me for it – I will send it! If you haven’t received it by within 3 days of the event, check your spam folders. If it isn’t there drop me an email – mark@gallowaywildfoods.com.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Any cancellation must be sent by email to mark@gallowaywildfoods.com, quoting the event title, date and order number (viewable on your booking confirmation.
Galloway Wild Foods is under no obligation to refund, rebook or reinstate vouchers for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of the event. If I can refill the place at short notice, I will pay a full refund less 10% to cover admin & PayPal fees, or send a voucher to the full value of the tickets. Please state your preference in your cancellation email.
If you cancel or amend a booking giving 14 days or more notice, you will receive a full refund less 5% to cover Paypal fees, or a Gift Voucher to the full value of your booking.Please state your preference in your cancellation email. Information on using gift vouchers is here.
In the unlikely event that an event is cancelled by GWF you will receive full refund, exchange or voucher.
Galloway Wild Foods is not liable for any travel, accommodation or other costs you might incur if an event has to be cancelled. We recommend that you take out travel insurance if your financial commitment to travel/accommodation is substantial.
The only weather that causes events to be cancelled is dangerous wind. In these instances you will be notified as early as possible.
INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE ON BOOKING
Please provide the following information for all members of your party in the “Additional Information” box on the payment page :
- Relevant medical conditions
- Mobility issues
- Eating restrictions – differentiating between preferences (e.g. vegetarian), intolerances (e.g. gluten intolerance) and serious allergies (e.g. peanut allergy), and clearly stating if an allergy is potentially life-threatening. All requirements can usually be catered for, but these differentiations are required for risk assessments.
It is your responsibility to provide accurate information about all members of your party. If you write “None” in the additional information box, I will assume all attendees are omnivorous and have no relevant medical conditions or mobility issues.
All information is kept private, securely, and in line with GDPR – more information on this here.
WHAT TO BRING ON A WALK
Please ensure that all members of your party come suitably dressed for the weather, season and event.
On all walks, for your comfort and safety, walking boots/wellies, waterproofs and spare clothes are necessary. I always recommend wellies for coastal foraging events – you are likely to get wet feet if you don’t have them!
Please bring your own drinking water.
Your learning and enjoyment may also benefit from bringing a camera, notebook, field guide, small basket/cloth bag. Feel free to bring along any of your own wild food preparations to share and talk about.
DOGS
Most GWF events are suitable for one dog on a lead.
Even on walks that are suitable for dogs on leads, because we tend to move very slowly as we learn and forage, dogs often get bored/agitated/cold by the slow pace. One thing we absolutely can’t have is an unhappy noisy dog on an event.
Where events are suitable for dogs, I restrict it to one per event as there is no way of knowing whether dogs will get on with one another. Dog places are offered on a first-come-first-served basis.
With all this in mind, if you would like to bring a dog, please note this on the booking form in the “Additional Information” box (along with human dietary, mobility, medical info) and I will get contact you to let you know suitability and availability.
If being able to bring your dog is a deal-breaker for you, please email me before you book.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information on Galloway Wild Foods Terms and Conditions can be found here.
If you have specific questions that are not answered here, please contact mark on mark@gallowaywildfoods.com, or if you are running late on the day.
