Firms are asked to sign up to the ‘al desco' food challenge

THE Countdown is on for businesses to sign up to the GIY and Cully & Sully ‘al desko’ growing food at work initiative, with vouchers to Ballymaloe House, worth €1,500, up for grabs.

The food-growing challenge, dubbed ‘Give Peas a Chance’ enables businesses to not only grow food at work in teams, but to enter a competition to win vouchers to visit Ballymaloe House & Cookery School and – even better – to donate a community garden worth €3,000 to a local cause of their choice.

Through growing their own food, the initiative aims to help people understand where their food comes from and helps to green Ireland’s workplaces. 

Interested parties can sign up to the ‘Give Peas A Chance’ campaign online at www.cullyandsully.com/ourgarden. Registered teams will receive a free Grow pack of sowing pots, seeds and soil, plus expert growing tips and training advice from GIY.

Participants are asked to log their growing adventures on a dedicated online ‘growing wall’ and share their exploits on social media.  The most engaged and green-fingered team will win vouchers to visit Ballymaloe House & Cookery School worth €1,500, and get to donate a community garden worth €3,000 to a local cause of their choice, from a hospice or school to a care home or Men’s Shed.  

Last year’s challenge was won by Optimal Chiropractic in Cork who donated their community garden to the Cork Association for Autism in Mogeely.  A spring gathering earlier this year saw the garden installed and built and it is now of huge therapeutic benefit to the service users. 

To register for the desktop growing challenge, log onto www.cullyandsully.com/ourgarden and Give Peas A Chance. 

The winning team will be announced in September.