AN Okehampton woman who has pioneered a successful community tree-planting project in Cameroon says she has been bowled over by support for the scheme from people in West Devon.

Penny Fraser was featured in an article in the Times in January, after she contacted the paper for help for the Tree for Life campaign in Garoua, Cameroon.

She had made great strides in the tree project, which addresses the problem of desertification into previously fertile land, but feared that the project?s future was threatened by lack of money.

Penny said she was ?thrilled? at the support from the people of Devon.

?People in Okehampton sent us £1,300 so far, which was just brilliant ? I was very touched ? and in Garoua, people have been overwhelmed to receive this support,? said Penny. She added that another £2,800 would see the project safely launched into next year,

Penny said help from the UK had really encouraged the people working in the newly established tree nursery and given them a sense of purpose and confidence.

The project is building towards making the tree nursery self-financing ? regional market research has revealed a demand for citrus and mango trees and profit from these, grown by nursery workers, covers the cost of less exotic indigenous species like eucalyptus and tamarind which are donated for community planting.

Penny said the article in the Times also had an unexpected bonus: ?It resulted in an old friend contacting me, who I was at primary school with, and, because my old geography teacher at Okehampton heard about the project, I ended up talking to her students when I was back in Okehampton last month.

?She invited me in to talk, telling them about Cameroon and also giving them an example of what studying geography can take you on to do ? it was fun, and nice to be connected with Okehampton.?

Penny said every penny of donated money goes directly to the Tree for Life nursery project, which is fighting hard to break a vicious circle of desertification, caused primarily by felling of trees for fuel.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to the project can contact Penny via her mum, Christine Fraser, at 1 Bright View, Okehampton, EX20 1JR, telephone 01837 52662.

Alternatively, e-mail Penny on [email protected]">[email protected]