A MARKET gardening project for disadvantaged people enlisted the mayor of Basingstoke and Deane to dig in its first fruit tree.

Councillor Brian Gurden performed the honours for Growing Together, an organisation that provides people with learning disabilities and other disadvantages in the West Berkshire and North Hampshire area with the chance to gain accredited training, education and involvement in local food production.

The project will grow seasonal produce which will subsequently be offered for sale. In addition, there are opportunities for volunteering and job creation.

The scheme, at a site near Kingsclere, is a joint effort between Newbury Community Resource Centre, which operate the Community Furniture Project in Basingstoke, and West Berks Mencap.

It includes greenhouses, allotments and orchard areas.

The project secured £300,000 from the Big Lottery Local Food Fund which was made possible by the generous support of the Greenham Common Trust, which owns the site and which supported the project via matched funding.

The project is also being supported by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council through a Voluntary Sector Support Grant.

Kelvin Hughes, Newbury Community Resource Centre chief executive, said: “Our plan is to bring the currently redundant facilities on the site back into production while reducing overall energy consumption.

“The finished site will have raised beds, two large renovated greenhouses, composting facilities, a rainwater harvesting system, an orchard, fruit cages and a ‘Quiet Garden’, as well as a training centre with classroom and office facilities, secure tool store and renovated canteen facilities.

“We are delighted that over the first three years of the Growing Together Project in the region of 1,000 people will benefit directly, including six newly-created jobs, 15 temporary positions created under the Government’s Future Jobs Fund, 90 volunteers, 60 trainees, 90 service-users and many more.”