A HEALTHY eating initiative to tackle chronic problems of obesity and ill-health in a Gwent valley is a huge success, say organisers.

The Garnsychan Partnership's Vegetable Box scheme delivers fresh fruit and vegetables at discount prices to homes in some of Torfaen's most deprived wards.

In the first six months the scheme has rapidly grown and expanded, and now more than 100 families take advantage of the offer.

Garnsychan Partnership food enterprise officer Nicola Davison said the Vegetable Box is a bigger success than they planned.

"We started off with 20 families using the scheme in Garndiffaith, Abersychan and Trevethin, but now we sell more than 100 bags a week to families all across Pontypool," she said.

"At this point in the plan we only targeted to sell about 30 bags of fruit and veg a week, so it has exceeded our expectations.

"It is far more successful than we ever imagined.

"We even go to community centres and slimming groups.

"At Christmas we even had people asking for fruit and veg to give as presents. We gift wrapped dozens of boxes containing a variety of items and it proved really popular."

The scheme was started in July last year after it was revealed that levels of health in Torfaen were among the worst in Europe.

Figures revealed that 57% of Torfaen people are overweight or obese, and more than three-quarters of people do not take regular exercise.

The Vegetable Box scheme is funded by the Welsh Assembly and the National Lottery and provides local people with affordable, fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit.

All cash raised from the scheme goes back to the Garnsychan Partnership for other community projects.

This year the Partnership aims to expand the service to include even more areas, having bought their own van to make deliveries.

Future proposals for the scheme include the setting up of a community food shop and a healthy living cafe.