Foraging Fortnight.. just tree-mendous

Hundreds of people have taken part in outings, talks, workshops and cookery demonstrations as part of Lanarkshire’s highly successful Foraging Fortnight.

Last month’s virtual events included ‘Beneath the Apple Trees’ – an insight into the Victorian apple orchard at Carmichael Estate.

Groups discussed a project inspired by Billy Stewart and the Lanarkshire Songwriters, who gathered memories from growers and pickers of the great days of Lanarkshire apples and plums, strawberries and tomatoes, and turned them into songs with schools and members of the community, on a CD called ‘Fruits of Their Labours.’

More than 200 people tuned in to watch the 2020 virtual events in Lanarkshire, funded by LEADER – a European programme which supports rural community and business projects.

This is almost double the number of participants from Foraging Fortnight 2019, when 125 people took part in 11 events across Lanarkshire.

Yvonne Howley, pro j e c t development officer for the Lanarkshire LEADER programme said: “Foraging Fortnight has shown that there’s a real appetite in Lanarkshire for activities that allow people to engage with nature.

“2020 has been an incredible challenge for so many of us, but I’m pleased that Foraging Fortnight has risen to the challenge and has seen an increase in the number of people taking part this year, even with a limited digital programme.

“These were events that appealed not only to local communities in Lanarkshire, but also shone a spotlight on the region even further afield.

“It’s been a way of showing and appreciating the diverse and beautiful rural landscape of Lanarkshire.”

These virtual events are both still available to view online at www. foragingfortnight.co.uk along with events from the Orkney International Science Festival’s digital event programme.