Healthy Food for All - Growing in Confidence (NorthWest)

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Growing in Confidence (NorthWest)

The Community Food Project in Sligo is targeted at anyone who has ever wanted to grow their own vegetables and fruit but didn’t know how to. It is especially relevant to people managing on a tight family budget. The project is run by the Organic Centre in Rossinver County Leitrim with funding from the HSE West and the Department of Agriculture and Food. Minister Mary Coughlan attended the launch of the Project at Rowanfield House, Donegal Town in summer 2006.

The project gives participants the opportunity to learn gardening and cooking skills, specifically:
• How to grow organic vegetables & fruit
• How to store and preserve
• Be able to cut cost
• Grow what you (& your family) like to eat
• Get to know what is fresh at different times of the year.
• Learn about the health benefits of fruit and vegetables
• Learn how to prepare and cook fresh produce & make interesting and economical meals for family and friends

A number of cookery sessions demonstrate quick and easy ways to cook your own delicious home grown vegetables. These are provided by ‘Eat Well Be Well’ tutors provided by the HSE. The project culminates in the annual harvest celebration in September.

Where can you find the project?
St. Michael’s Family Life Centre, Sligo, Natascha Telford Thursdays 3pm – 5pm
Forthill Men’s Group, Northside CC Sligo, Craig Sands Thursdays 11am-1pm
Rathcormac, beside old NS, Craig Sands, Wednesdays 10.30am-12.30pm
Riverstown, Sligo Folkpark, Fridays, Natascha Telford, 10.30am-12.30pm
The Organic Centre, Rossinver, County Leitrim, Ingrid Foley, Fridays 3-5pm
Bundoran, Villa Nova (Glor Na Mara), Ingrid Foley, Thursdays 2-4pm

Who works with the participants?
An experienced gardener from The Organic Centre guides and helps participants to grow the food. A trained tutor for the cooking sessions is available to show exciting new ways to cook what has been grown. Participants share and take home produce to use at home. The project involves developing a garden from scratch, sharing a plot, helping it to grow and watching it develop throughout the seasons.

growing in confidence

The Project Steering Group has recently developed a ‘How to Guide’ to enable interested people or groups to start community gardens. For copies of the ‘How to Guide’ or more information on the projects contact Andy Hallewell at the Organic Centre: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Emma Ball at HSE: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it