COMMUNITY groups across the Westcountry are being encouraged to apply for funding and expertise in a bid to increase the amount of locally produced food in rural shops.

The Look for Local scheme aims to support community-owned and rural shops to develop and expand their local food ranges, raise the profile of local food within the community and develop links between local producers and rural shops.

The scheme is part of Making Local Food Work, which is managed by social enterprise charity the Plunkett Foundation, and receives funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

David Geeves, community retail adviser for the Plunkett Foundation in Cornwall, said: "A lot of village shops stock some local produce, but this scheme is about trying to create something similar to a farm shop within the village.

"I think this can really make a big difference to local producers, as well as to those who regularly do a lot of their shopping in these small rural shops.

"This is about helping out the community, and its producers, by buying products which do not have high food miles and are made with local ingredients.

"This in turn helps support the local shops which sell them."

There are three community shops in Devon and Cornwall currently piloting the Making Local Food Work Scheme.

One of them, in Lanreath, South East Cornwall, recently chose to launch its local food offering by giving villagers free tasters of pasties, cheese, drinks and preserves. All samples were available to buy in the shop.

Another is in Berrynarbor, near Ilfracombe, North Devon, which opened as a volunteer-run community shop five years ago.

Volunteer Pam Parke said about a quarter of produce sold from the shop was grown locally. "This has caused quite a bit of interest because tourists in particular are very keen to see what we are doing here," she said.

"The whole scheme is very successful and, of course, helps our local suppliers. Very often, those local producers with a surplus crop give it to us to sell in the shop. It really demonstrates the community spirit we have."

The Look for Local scheme supports shopkeepers with one-on-one adviser support, a practical guide and point of sale material.

It has also been able to support those shops taking part with marketing material and funding towards running a local food event to raise the profile of shop and their local food range.

The Plunkett Foundation's Look for Local support package is worth in excess of £1,000 and free to a limited number of shops. To find out more, visit www.making localfoodwork.co.uk.