Foraging ahead despite the virus outbreak

The project ran in 2019 and was only able to take place in a minimal way in September 2020 with a number of virtual events that included:

·Beneath the Apple Trees: an insight into the Victorian apple orchard at Carmichael Estate, Lanarkshire.

·Did you Really Want to Work on the Land, Dad?: The Clyde Valley has a history of fruit growing dating back generations. Billy Stewart and the Lanarkshire Songwriters have 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.

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.

Yvonne Howley, Project 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 seen an increase in the number of people taking part this year, even with a limited digital programme.”