GIY announces winning community food-growing projects to be funded by the GIY Get Ireland Growing Fund, in partnership with AIB.
Seventy-two community based food-growing projects, including voluntary groups, residents associations, schools and hospitals are to benefit from grants of up to €5000 from the GIY (Grow It Yourself) Get Ireland Growing Fund, in partnership with AIB. Following a four month application and evaluation process, GIY announces the winning projects, located in 23 counties. The fund aims to support and encourage the local food-growing movement now evident across the country with grants of €500 for the smallest projects to €5,000 for larger schemes.
Developed by GIY, in partnership with AIB’s Add More Green Fund, the Get Ireland Growing fund will help underpin the finance necessary to sustain food growing projects around Ireland over three years.
In Clare, GIY has awarded grants to two schools in the county. Scoil Mhichil, Cahermurphy is a small, two teacher school that is looking to expand the learning experience of the children through practical work with growing vegetables.
Marie Egan of Scoil Mhichil said: “Students of Scoil Mhichil are hard at work in their school vegetable patch. Thanks to the Get Ireland Growing Fund plans are now underway to create a new gardening space which will provide a larger area for the students to get planting next Spring.”
Also awarded a grant under the scheme is Raheenwood Steiner NS.
Elsewhere in Ireland winning projects include: a community garden in Southill, Limerick fostering local community spirit; a garden in Wicklow providing growing space for people that do not have their own gardens; and schools coming together in an interdenominational school garden in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary.
The potential for food growing to create opportunities for recreation, therapy and education is recognised by grant awards to a number of health and wellbeing organisations including the National Rehabilitation Centre, the Irish Wheelchair Association, COPE Galway, Errigal Truagh Special Needs and Midleton Hospital, Co Cork.
Programme Manager for GIY, Ciaran Walsh said: “It is really encouraging to see the level of interest that communities have in providing facilities for people to grow and also learn about the importance of food and its origins. We were particularly struck by the number of applications from schools – school veg gardens have huge potential for impact, involving children, teachers and the wider community.”
AIB’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Jennifer Brady said: “AIB has been working with GIY for the past few years and we are delighted to see the positive impact the Get Ireland Growing Fund has had so far on schools and local community groups all over the country. This fund provides vital support to those who are working towards the development and improvement of their community, and it is inspiring to see first-hand the commitment and passion that goes into this.”
For further information, please contact
Therese Kennedy, GIY
(051 302191)—[email protected]
