Rugby star gets stuck in to putting down roots

IRELAND rugby star Shane Horgan was getting down and dirty yesterday to encourage people to grow their own food.

The winger, who kicked off Grow It Yourself (GIY) Week that runs until Saturday, got stuck into planting runner bean seed.

The initiative, part of the Arthur Guinness Fund, will see Shane reporting on the progress of his beans via Guinness Ireland’s Facebook page.

GIY Week is timed to coincide with the start of the 2011 growing season, and will encourage people to grow their own food.

Shane was getting stuck in with his pitchfork at Seven Oaks Community Garden in Dublin yesterday.

“Food is a really important part of my training regime but, to be honest, I have never tried to grow something myself,” said Shane.

“I am going to give it my best and try to grow something that I will eat at the end. It will be a good and different challenge for me and I am looking forward to sharing its progress,” said Shane.

GIY is one of the recipients of the Arthur Guinness Fund that is helping the not-for-profit organisation to establish a GIY group in every town in Ireland.

The aim is to ensure that wherever there is a person interested in growing their own food, there is a GIY group available to join.

There is now 80 groups.

GIY aims to encourage more than 100,000 people to take the GIY pledge — an online personal commitment to stick a seed in the ground.

* For more information visit www.giyireland.com and to follow Shane Horgan’s progress log onto facebook.com/guinnessireland.