ST MARY'S School in Bridport needs £4000 to keep its organic garden - and the meals it provides - growing this year.

And staff and pupils are asking the community to help it raise the money with crowd funding.

The project started initially with HOME in Bridport and Transition Town Bridport.

Sarah Wilberforce from HOME said: "At St. Mary’s we are lucky to have a real school kitchen and two brilliant cooks, Amanda Downes and Mel Hayter. They have been sourcing school lunches from the organic garden in the school grounds, and other local suppliers.

"Our Edible Garden project has employed Tia Perrella as the part-time gardener and recruited volunteers to provide boxes of fresh produce for the school kitchen. Together they have transformed lunches into healthy, tasty, popular meals and increasing number of the children at St Mary’s choose them.

"To spread the message, we organised more than 10 events last year, including family pizza evenings and an open day, which was part of Bridport Food Festival.

"A visiting act called Gordon the Rotter inspired the school to kick-start the compost group, run by the children. "We built a cob oven and served more than 40 pizzas in a community-building event.

"The Kitchen Team gave cooking classes after school and created a cook book. Children were involved in growing food through the garden club after lessons."

The volunteers and friends of the edible garden want to expand the use of raised beds, outdoors and in the poly tunnels, the cooking and growing workshops need to continue and the kitchen needs a freezer and other equipment to preserve the excess produce.

Ms Wilberforce added: "We have paid for employment of the gardener, training/expenses for the cooks and others, materials, soil and seeds for the garden. But to continue for another year we need funding. The money will also help to give several young adults training for a future career."

If the school manages to raise £4000 the money will go towards a part-time gardener to supervise volunteers and teach, materials and Equipment for the Kitchen and Garden, volunteers' expenses and food and publicity for social events.

All people who pledge money will become a member of the Edible Garden and receive a termly newsletter, as well as a reward from a local business of food or hospitality, according to the amount pledged. These offers will be published under Rewards, in a range from £5 to £250.

Ms Wilberforce added: "If we succeed our target amount we would like to use this money to provide educational trips for pupils of the school and send trainee gardeners on horticultural courses."

Pledges can me made through crowdfunder.co.uk/the-edible-garden-project-bridport.