AN OKEHAMPTON College student and community project Growing Our Future are hoping to raise a small amount of money to be able to plant fruit trees in the school grounds.

Student Lyndon Pitt and Okehampton com-munity garden project Growing Our Future are 'crowdfunding' to raise £70 to be able to plant five fruit trees in the grounds as part of Crowdfunder UKs latest campaign, Fruitshare.

The campaign aims to get as many schools as possible planting fruit trees in the school grounds, educating children on the importance of growing their own produce and encouraging healthy and sustainable eating. The campaign is backed by Hugh Fearnley-Whitt-ingstall.

The five trees, two apple trees, one pear, one plum and one quince, will be planted in the college's Forest Garden.

Lyndon has spear-headed the project in the school to help towards his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.

He said the area they were hoping to plant the trees in was, at the moment, quite dull: 'There are a few plants there but not many people go up there.

'We're working with Crowdfunder to flesh out the area and grow some fruit.

'It would be great to get the funding — it would make a big difference to the area.'

Crowdfunding works by by people pledging money in return for rewards.

For the Fruitshare campaign Crowdfunder UK has teamed up with Abel and Cole, the organic veg-box com-pany, The Woodland Trust and River Cottage, who are providing great rewards to encourage people to back the campaign.

Beth Hamer from Growing Our Future said: 'This is a great opportunity to share with the students a real outcome that many can be inspired by and benefit from.'

Food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whitting-stall said: 'I am on a mission to make the most of fruit, so what better place to start than with our kids.

'If we can get them to propagate a positive relationship with fruit, it could be a love affair that lasts a lifetime.

'Gathering local communities and businesses to use Crowd-funder UK to raise funds to get growing fruit trees is a brilliant way of demonstrating what can happen when a group of people get together to achieve something great.'

To help the school raise enough money to buy the fruit trees, visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/">www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ okehampton-college by tomorrow (Friday).