FREE PIZZA HERO WORKSHOPS LAUNCHED

Pizza Crew is offering 300 free places for pupils with SEN

Pizza Crew has launched its free Pizza Hero Workshops, created specifically for special schools and SEN units across Northern Ireland.

Launching on National Pizza Day (Monday 9 February), 300 places are up for grabs across 15 workshops in 2026 at Pizza Crew’s Lisburn and Andersonstown Road stores. Each session gives pupils the chance to step into a real pizza kitchen for a fun, confidence-boosting experience built around participation, routine and achievement.

Pizza Crew founder and World Pizza Champion, Ciaran Kelly, said: “I’ve been running these workshops for years and I’m proud to say more than 3,000 children with special educational needs have taken part. For many pupils, it’s the change of environment, the sensory experience and the sense of pride that makes it so special. They love getting hands-on with the dough and flour and seeing something they made come out of the oven ready to eat. It’s joyful, and genuinely one of the best parts of what I do.”

Ciaran is also marking National Pizza Day with 25% off online orders for one day only (Monday 9 February) – use NPD25.

He added: “Schools are under pressure and SEN budgets are often stretched, so it mattered to me that the Pizza Hero Workshops are completely free. On National Pizza Day, we wanted the spotlight where it belongs – on brilliant pupils, incredible schools and the staff who support them every day. And giving customers 25% off feels like the perfect way to celebrate all things pizza.”

Pizza Crew’s commitment is rooted in Ciaran’s personal story. After the loss of his infant son, Zak, he began offering experiences for children with additional needs as a way to give back to the specialist education community.

Ciaran concluded: “Losing Zak was so painful for my whole family. If he had lived, he would have needed specialist care so these Pizza Hero Workshops are our way of remembering him.”

Special schools and SEN units that would like to register for one of the 15 Pizza Hero Workshops can apply by emailing ciaran@pizzacrew.co. Workshops will be allocated based on eligibility and scheduling, with Pizza Crew prioritising schools that have not previously taken part where possible.

Visit www.pizzacrew.co to order or download the Pizza Crew app – call the Andersonstown Road store on 02890 601060, the Antrim Road store on 02896 919676, the Ormeau Road store on 02895 320200 and the Lisburn store on 02892 441159.