West Cork Food Revolution wins Green Fund top prize

Clonakilty Kids’ Food Revolution has chosen as the overall winner of the inaugural Lidl Green Fund, securing the top prize of €25,000.

The funding will be used to help deliver its standout project “Grow, Cook, Eat”, which aims to equip children with practical cookery and horticulture skills focused on sustainable foods.

Launched last February, the Lidl Green Fund, developed in collaboration with Business in the Community Ireland, was established to support community-led projects which prioritise environmental sustainability and healthy living.

Clonakilty Kids’ Food Revolution was chosen because of its proven track record of positively transforming children’s attitudes towards food through hands-on education.

Founded by Gillian Hegarty and Melissa Byrne, the initiative aims to create a healthier and more supportive food environment for children.

CASH INJECTION

The €25,000 cash injection will allow the project to significantly expand its reach, bringing interactive cookery and gardening workshops directly into local schools.

The kids’ food revolution pilot will run in three West Cork primary schools. It will combine hands on cookery and nutrition education with kitchen gardening, supporting curriculum learning, wellbeing and practical life skills in a relaxed and fun peer learning environment.

Gillian Hegarty and Melissa Byrne, co-founders of the Clonakilty project, said they have been blown away by the impact the programme has had in their community.

“We are really excited to move into this next phase, because we’ve seen the power that hands on learning has on children; how excited they are to try new things when they’re together having fun.”

Tara O’Connor, regional managing director at Lidl Ireland, said that by supporting this €25,000 expansion into local schools, they are helping to equip children with lifelong skills that reduce food waste and promote nutrition.