GroForYou

Community Innovation Campus – Principal Collaborators

 

Farmer Jones Academy CIC (FJA) and Gro For Good CIC (GFG) collaborating as ‘Gro for You’ (GFY).

 

A collaboration built on strong relationships with local industry, public sectors, and communities to drive ownership of a sustainable community into the foreseeable future.

 

Our two award winning local social enterprises came together to create a powerful force for positive sustainable change. Roles were quickly identified in order to launch its first joint venture, the GFY Community Innovation Campus. From inception, we have worked with over 2000 young people within the North Highlands educating them in Food & Drink, sustainability and enterprise. We have designed and commissioned the North’s first large scale aquaponic gardens winning the 2020 Scottish Green Energy Award (Sustainability category). We currently employ 7 people locally and we contract 15 training and business free-lancers across the North Highlands.

 

FJA are an SQA, REHIS and Princes Trust Accredited Training Centre and have secured large contracts with Skills Development Scotland and the Highland Council to deliver on Foundation Apprenticeships and Employability projects at our campus where the apprenticeship intake increased by 200% in 2021 delivering 78 fully qualified food technologies, hospitality and business apprentices. This figure is set to more than double to over 160 by 2023.

 

 

Our Extended Collaboration – Tain and District Development Trust

 

A community consultation event led by a Steering Group in June 2017 resulted in overwhelming positive support to mirror developments and initiatives taking place in other progressive Highland communities with the aim of boosting social, environmental, and economic development for Tain and surrounding areas.

 

This resulted in a Development Trust being incorporated that is now registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee, # 580510

 

The Community Innovation Campus will act as a catalyst for the TDDT’s newly launched Easter Ross Peninsula Sustainable and Responsible Tourism Strategy including driving local business growth and improving infrastructure including the Easter Ross Peninsula Pathways project in collaboration with

The Glenmorangie Company.

The Images above are artists impressions of the finished campus.