A GROW-your-own-veg scheme near Wadebridge is all set up for the start of the growing season thanks to a generous donation of tools from Cornwall Farmers Ltd.

Camel Community Supported Agriculture at St Kew Highway is a co-operative venture which grows vegetables for members to share through a weekly veg box scheme.

The non-profit-taking community group has just taken delivery of a range of garden spades, forks, hoes and edgers, donated by the Wadebridge branch of Cornwall Farmers.

The tools were handed over at Camel CSA's site by branch manager, Julie Russell. She praised people in the Wadebridge area for their ability to pull together. "There's quite a community vibe going," she said. "We're a growing business supporting a growing community and we're always trying to forge new links."

Chairman Charlotte Barry said: "It's all go at the moment, so these tools will be incredibly useful.

"Our expert growers and volunteers will be using them to get stuck into preparing the vegetable beds as soon as the weather improves and the ground warms up.

"We're really grateful for this donation. Cornwall Farmers has supported us right from the start, ever since we set up two years ago."

Camel CSA is in the process of expanding its growing operation and its membership following a successful bid for support from the Big Lottery Fund's Local Food Programme and the East Cornwall Local Action Group (ECLAG).

The £60,000 grant funding is helping Camel CSA to invest in valuable equipment including three poly tunnels, a borehole and water tank, irrigation system, sheds, a small tractor, horticultural tools and rabbit-proof fencing.

It is also enabling it to promote links between fresh, local seasonal food and a healthy lifestyle by offering volunteering, educational and social opportunities through partnerships with schools, charities and other local agencies. For more details about joining the project and its weekly veg box scheme go to the website at http://camel-csa.org.uk