A NEW environmentally friendly food project has been set up in the Borders with the aim of encouraging people to grow their own food.

Gardens for the Future is a project created by Greener Melrose, a group working towards a sustainable future in the Borders.

The project was launched at the group’s flagship site at Drygrange, near Leaderfoot.

Chair of Greener Melrose Donald McPhillimy said: “We start by putting our new leaflet through the letter boxes of a whole neighbourhood. This invites householders to consider growing more fresh nutritious food in their own gardens.

“If they are interested, they contact us at greenermelrose@live.co.uk

“We then form a group and get them started.”

The project aims to create a number of ‘growing circles’ – spaces where people can share their gardening skills, receive training and support, and access free materials and tools to help them on their gardening journey.

Donald added: “We realise that people have a few obstacles to getting started but we want to knock them aside by sharing skills, providing training and mutual support, providing free compost, soil and seeds to get started, timber for raised beds, lending tools and so on.

“This is the ideal time of year to be setting up vegetable gardens, so we hope lots of people will come forwards.”

Greener Melrose has printed 2,500 leaflets to be posted in communities which should allow for 20 growing circles to be formed around the region.

The local project has been initially funded by Action Earth and Nature Scot.

Greener Melrose is also part of the Scottish Borders Local Food Growing Network – a network convened by Scottish Borders Council and sees groups across the Borders come together to exchange ideas and develop new projects.