If you’re an owner of a food and drink business in Wales, there’s a new grant scheme that you might be considering applying for. If you do, there’s an important licensing requirement that you need to be aware of to ensure you don’t fall foul of the law.
The Welsh Government has announced a small grant scheme designed to bolster the food and drink industry in Wales. The scheme applies to food and drink festivals and events taking place between 1 July 2023 and 31 March 2024.
If your business operates in the hospitality and food and drink sector in Wales, you could benefit from a grant ranging from £1,000 and £25,000.
The aims of the scheme are to:
- improve access to and awareness of Welsh food and drink by Welsh people and visitors alike
- encourage Welsh hospitality businesses to source more local food and drink
- increase the prevalence of Welsh food and drink on menus and retail offerings.
The fund aligns with the Welsh Government’s Vision for the Food and Drink industry in Wales, which was introduced in 2021. At the heart of that vision is developing a “flourishing food and drink industry with a global reputation for excellence”.
You should be mindful that, depending on the nature of the event, a licence may be required if you intend to carry out any of the following licensable activities:
- Selling alcohol
- Serving hot food and drink between the hours of 11pm and 5am
- Providing entertainment (under certain conditions)
One of the most common licensing options for small events is a Temporary Event Notice (knows as a TEN). TENs last for seven days and apply only to events that involve no more than 499 people at any one time. This includes people who are organising the event, and staff. TENs are a short-term alternative to premises licences. They can also be used where a particular licensing activity is not included in the terms of your existing licence.
However, TENs are not suitable if you intend to carry out licensable activities on a long-term basis. A maximum of 20 TENs can be applied for in a year, and the maximum number of days on which TENs may be held is 26 days in one calendar year.
