Last updated 13:37, Friday, 22 August 2008

Cockermouth allotment holders Rick Cross, 54, and Aline Elliott, 71, reap what they have sown in the courgette bed on the allotment on St Helen's Street

A NEW voluntary group in Cockermouth may just have the answer to soaring food prices.

The town’s Community Food Growing Forum aims to bite back at the credit crunch by identifying land for allotments to enable townsfolk to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

The group is looking for new allotment sites through donations, lease or purchase.

About 50 people are at present looking for allotment plots in Cockermouth, and the group is seeking out any spare land that might be used.

They are calling on local community groups, organisations businesses and schools to help them out.

Andrew Gilbert, a member of the group, said: “People growing food in their own homes is getting ever more popular.

“As people are worried about the credit crunch they feel it will be cheaper to grow their produce on allotments rather than buy it every week from a supermarket.

“Some people have not experienced the thrill of growing their own food before and want to gain these skills.

“A lot of people also enjoy growing and eating what they have produced themselves.

“Their children are also getting involved and it is good to see them getting a lot of fun and enjoyment out of it.”

Mr Gilbert felt that the popularity of allotment-produced food was partly due to growing concerns about food safety and the cost and time it takes to transport food from overseas.

The group also looks to provide equipment, such as grow bags, sacks, pots and tubs, to help people to grow their own food at home.

They will also be happy to share their experience and expertise in making a grow-their-own food project more accessible to local people - however small their court-yard or patch of land might be.

Mr Gilbert said: “A lot of people enjoy growing things in their back yards and one of our aims is to provide equipment for people to be able to do this.”

Rick Cross, another member of the group, said: “We want to provide support and advice for people who are interested in growing their own food.”

People wanting to get involved with the group can contact them through the community group Riversmeet by logging on to the website at www.riversmeet.org.

Its next meeting takes place on Wednesday, August 27, at 7.30pm, in the All Saints Room, behind All Saints Church, Cockermouth.