RESIDENTS across north Essex are being urged to reach for their garden forks and spades to take part in a new grow your own initiative during the lockdown.

Tendring Council and Colchester Council have been working with Abberton Rural Training and the Community Voluntary Service Tendring to help the Stay At Home, Grow Your Own initiative burst into life.

It hopes to encourage a new generation of Land Army to grow produce at home, either in the garden or on a window ledge.

The project wants to demonstrate how growing your own fruit and vegetables can help bring a more nutritious, diverse and healthy diet to many.

Not only does the initiative aim to improve people’s diets but it can also assist with physical and mental well-being.

Working in the garden provides a light form of physical activity which brings a range of benefits.

Along with boosting vitamin D levels, growing your own can offer stress relief and support for emotional wellbeing.

Lynda McWilliams, Tendring Council’s portfolio holder for partnerships, is encouraging everyone to get behind this project and hopes to see the green shoots of success soon.

She said: “Thank you to all the groups who worked together to get this project off the ground, especially Community Voluntary Service Tendring whose support has been outstanding.

“Anyone can grow their own. The satisfaction and rewarding feeling you get from growing your own is unlike anything else and, of course, the produce tastes much better too.”

Jacqui Stone, the chief executive of Abberton Rural Training, added: “Growing your own produce at home can happen from your windowsill, a window box, on a balcony, a courtyard or garden.

“You can create seed trays from newspaper, planting tubes from toilet roll inserts and recycled household waste, including yoghurt pots, margarine containers and plastic bottles.

“Being able to pick fresh lettuce for your salad or sandwich is unbeatable.”

To take part or order one of the 200 starter packs available, go to abbertonruraltraining.org/tendringgyo.html or call the Tendring Community Hub on 01255 686 700.