A Lichfield chef is helping to kickstart a fundraising project to pay for a new dining space and food teaching area at his former school.
Liam Dillon, owner of The Boat Inn, attended King Edward VI School and says his passion for cooking came while he was studying.
To help fundraising efforts he will host a special dinner on 27th April with all proceeds going to the school.
This is not the first community project at the school for Liam. During the third lockdown in 2021, the restaurant’s team delivered their Heat At Home meals to teachers as a thank you for helping pupils during Covid.
“It felt special to help my old school last year, re-visiting actually gave me a few goosebumps.
“The school helped create the platform for my career in hospitality and now I want to help people who find themselves where I was all those years ago.
“It’s great to see the school’s plan to invest in new dining facilities and food teaching space and it feels special to be part of this project that will help many students for years to come.”
Liam Dillon
Jane Rutherford, headteacher at King Edward VI, Lichfield said:
“The school is fundraising to improve and extend the dining space and social areas for students.
“We have a fantastic catering team and three food points across the school but as the school expands – by 2023 there will be over 1,600 students from Years 7 to 11 – we need to constantly invest in modernising our facilities and learning spaces.
“Liam recently spent some time in school and suggested this idea of a fundraising event. It was an easy decision to make and will be hopefully the first of many collaborations that benefit the school.
“We are already talking about further connections, indeed the school welcomes partnerships across the community, it shows our students that anything is possible.”
Jane Rutherford, King Edward VI School
For more information visit www.theboatinnlichfield.com.
