GIY’s proposed national food education centre in Waterford, GROW HQ, has been selected as one of the winning Arthur Guinness Projects for 2013. The award is the first significant milestone in a €750,000 fundraising drive for GROW HQ which GIY intends to secure from a mixture of corporate sponsorship, philanthropic funding, government supports and donations from the GIY community.
GROW HQ was one of four winners in the food category of Arthur Guinness Projects, the cultural initiative championing people whose ideas and passion are shaping our identity in today’s Ireland. The public voted for their favourite projects, which were then reviewed by the Arthur Guinness Projects panel, spearheaded by The Script, food guru Dylan McGrath, Donegal inter-county manager Jim McGuinness and celebrated actor Chris O’Dowd.
GROW HQ will be a place where people come to immerse themselves in the GIY lifestyle by growing, cooking and eating home-grown food – it will include a grow school, cookery school, café, farm shop and food gardens. GIY is currently finalising the building and site plans, which will be submitted to the planning authority and the elected representatives of Waterford City Council. GIY has also recently received innovation grant funding from Waterford City Enterprise Board.
Thanking people in Waterford who supported GROW HQ during the public vote, GIY founder Michael Kelly said “We are thrilled that GROW HQ has been selected as one of the winners of Arthur Guinness Projects 2013, and very grateful for the support we received from Waterford people. We received €40,000 which creates momentum in our fundraising and allows us to invest in the design phase.”
Kelly also said that GIY is looking to have a number of local companies as ‘Founding Partners’ of GROW HQ, with an attractive package of HR, PR and CSR benefits on offer. “We’re looking for visionary people and companies to support this incredibly positive project which will have a lasting health and sustainability legacy for Waterford.”
