WHERE can you get a bag of fresh vegetables, fruit, salad or stir-fry for just £3? At The Gathering Place, Flemingston Road, St Athan – that’s where! The food co-op was set up in December by a group of volunteers, in conjunction with the Rural Regeneration Unit. The Community Food Co-operative Programme is funded by the Welsh Government.

Each Wednesday evening, from 6.30pm to 8pm, anyone and everyone is welcome to come along and place an order, pay, and pick up the following week. Each week there is a chance to see what’s on offer in the bags. A typical bag of vegetables has about 4lbs of potatoes, carrots, onions, swede, parsnips and a cauliflower or cabbage. The fruit bags usually consist of apples, pears, tangerines, oranges, bananas and either a melon, pineapple or mango. The salad bags have tomatoes, lettuce, spring onions, peppers, cress and cucumber; and the stir-fry has onions, peppers, beansprouts, celery, garlic and ginger. Each week there’s a slight variation depending on the season and availability but, if there’s something you don’t particularly like, then there’s usually a ‘swap box’ available. Healthy Start Vouchers are accepted as payment, too. So, why not come along and give it a try and make 2013 a Healthy Eating New Year. For more details either email thegatheringplacestathan@gmail.com or contact Hannah James on 029 2023 2943/ 07717 205438 or by email on Hannah.james@rru.org.uk

Eleri Jones The Gathering Place St Athan