A COMMUNITY group has opened a brand new hut aimed at giving a village a green boost.

In its first few months the Tollesbury Climate Partnership (TCP), a community working together to reduce their village's impact on climate change, invited residents to suggest ideas for climate related projects.

This is when passionate grower Jill Morgan came up with the idea of a seed swap hut.

She then spoke to a fellow allotment holder who worked at the doctors' surgery in the village (Tollesbury Surgery) and suggested it would be the perfect location for the hut.

Luckily the doctors loved the idea and since Jill has used her creativity as an artist to design and decorate the hut.

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Jill said: "I’ve loved gardening from an early age, and our allotment group in Tollesbury has always swapped seeds. It’s something people have done for centuries.

"So when TCP was looking for project ideas I thought it would be great to have a seed swap hut for the whole village.

"I know that when I was having cancer treatment a few years ago, growing things was a big factor in my recovery and healing.

"So it just seemed to make sense, with the importance of health and wellbeing, to build the hut just outside the doctors surgery as something positive.

"And I’m overwhelmed by the support from the community – who have donated recycled materials and seeds for the hut, and neighbours who’ve spent hours building it."

Tiptree Building Supplies donated some of the recycled materials used to make the hut.

TCP opened the seed swap hut last week.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their packets of vegetable seeds to swap with those which have been donated by people in the village and Perrywood Garden Centre.

The climate group has said the response has already been "overwhelmingly positive" with word spreading quickly around the village.

The next steps will be to add a notice board for information on growing and seasonal recipes.

TCP also provide recycled coffee grains to use for composting and to deter slugs and recycled plastic pots and trays for sowing seeds.