Press releases

Food for Thought

When staff at a Coventry science park tuck into their lunch they could be helping to fund important research into children's education across the UK.

A new eatery has opened at The Venture Centre, which is part of the University of Warwick Science Park, and is being run by one of the many companies and organisations which is based at the site.

Heads, Teachers and Industry Leadership Centre is operating Food4Thought as it looks to take advantage of business opportunities to fund the charitable arm of the organisation - HTI Ltd.

The menu has been revamped with a range of organic meals and freshly made snacks now on offer alongside traditional hot dishes.

And the profit made from sales at Food4Thought will go towards funding HTI's work in education.

The organisation, which employs 40 permanent staff and up to 80 consultants per year, helps to give teachers opportunities to spend time in the private sector in order to get a view of how businesses operate.

It also conducts research, which is part funded by the Government as well as HTI's business arm, that looks into a wide range of issues in education.

The organisation recently helped to research and develop software that enables children with special needs to be incorporated into mainstream classes.

Tracey Maude, of Heads Teachers and Industry (HTI), said: "The transformation of the eatery here is excellent and business is booming.

"Staff at the other companies here in The Venture Centre are using us regularly it is really helping to enhance the sense of community within the centre."

She added: "HTI has two arms - one that makes a profit and the other which is charitable.

"Food4Thought is being run by the profit-making company and that helps to fund things like our research as well as our programme of giving teachers experience of the commercial world of industry.

"So whenever anyone purchases a sandwich, a meal or drink from the café they are helping to enable those important projects to take place."

The science park is home to more than 125 small and medium sized companies, while there are also innovation centres in Warwick, Binley and Solihull.

Angela Childs, of the University of Warwick Science Park, said: "The beauty of the way the science park is run is that we are not just a base for companies.

"We provide business support services as well as business opportunities when they come along.

"We are very pleased that Food4Thought has been so popular so far and that the money it makes is going towards some extremely important work."

01/10/2004