Green-fingered residents on a Bradford estate have been awarded cash to expand their food co-operative and community garden.

The schemes, part of Thorpe Edge Community Project, have received a £4,800 grant from the Community Life Fund.

The cash is part of the Government's neighbourhood renewal plans and another £200 has been given by the Community Learning Chest towards training volunteers.

The cash will allow the food co-operative and the community garden, which have both just started, to develop and become more closely linked. The money will pay for a worker's salary for three months.

Thorpe Edge Community Project manager John Sheen said the cash would be a welcome boost. He said aim of the food co-operative was to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from markets and sell them to the community at low prices.

"It's about promoting healthy eating at a very low cost and linking that with other community projects," he said. Mr Sheen said the co-op was currently breaking even.

He said the cash would help train volunteers and buy new equipment. The long-term goal is to link with the community garden so residents can grow produce and then sell it.

A allotment has been created and workers have prepared the soil and planted fruit and vegetables.

Mr Sheen said the schemes were a bonus to people's mental and physical health.

The community project aims to set up initiatives to meet local people's needs.

The Community Life fund gives grants of up to £5,000 to non-for-profit groups to encourage people to get involved in voluntary work.

Thorpe Edge Environment Project also runs a furniture recycling service and cooking sessions for residents.

Mohammed Ali, Community Life Fund chairman, said the project was to help people help themselves.

He said they were keen to attract more applications, especially from groups working on estates in Bradford.