A charity in South Oxhey will bid for a European grant to grow its new community allotment.

Ascend, which provides training and educational opportunities for people in south-west Hertfordshire, will use its allotment as a base to teach residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables, as well as providing jobs for local people.

Hertfordshire's MEP Richard Howitt will visit the centre in Gosforth Lane on Friday, to launch a bid for £55,000 from the European Social Fund.

He said: “I am proud to be launching Ascend’s latest funding bid and hope that the charity reaps the rewards that it so clearly deserves. There is a huge need for work and training in South Oxhey and I hope that this funding will help meet that need.

“For too long this area has had a bad image that has obscured all the good work that is being done here to improve peoples’ lives. Ascend has a proven record of delivering for the area and should be given all the support possible to be a part of the area’s future.

“The work being done here at Ascend is a beacon of hope to so many local people in South Oxhey. They are providing the sort of real help that is desperately needed to support the areas improving opportunities.”