LAST week the new gardening club at King Henry VIII Comprehensive School, Abergavenny was given some new tools, a plum tree and some fruit bushes.

The donations came from the Abergavenny and Crickhowell Friends of the Earth and were paid for from their sale of the Abergavenny Bag.

The Abergavenny Bag project was the culmination of a two year campaign run by three members of the local group to reduce the number of plastic bags being issued by independent shops in Abergavenny. 

They gained the support of Abergavenny Town Council and the Abergavenny Chamber of Trade for the development of a bespoke, organic, Fairtrade cotton bag.  

They were very keen to involve local children in the project and so they organised a competition for Year 8 pupils of King Henry VIII School to design the image and logo for the bag.  

They also involved four primary schools in the town centre in a competition to design posters to promote the bag. Prize money was donated by the Town Council, Abergavenny and Crickhowell Friends of the Earth and the Abergavenny Chamber of Trade.

 The group successfully applied for funding from Abergavenny Town Council and Monmouthshire County Council for just over 1000 bags and began selling them in December 2009.

A dozen shops in Abergavenny agreed to sell the bags plus they were sold at the Farmers' Market and at the Food Festival in September last year.  A total of £1800 has been raised so far with a prospect of a further £200 when all the bags are sold.

 The Abergavenny Bag Project sets out specifically to promote the concept of a Green Abergavenny so it was considered appropriate to invest the proceeds of the sale of the bags into all things green. 

All of the money raised is being reinvested in the community via garden planting schemes involving local schools and community garden projects in Abergavenny and Pandy.

 Said FOE co-ordinator of the project Sue Harrison: "So far the group has purchased fruit trees, soft fruit bushes and garden tools from Tools for Self Reliance for King Henry VIII School gardening club, native trees and hedging for Cantref School, fruit trees for Llanfihangel Crucorney and Gilwern schools, and fruit trees for the Abergavenny Community Garden proposed by the Abergavenny Climate Action group.  

There are plans for an insect-friendly garden in Our Lady and St. Michael's Primary School and plants for Deri View School. 

Funds are also available to help purchase fruit trees for the proposed community allotments in Llanvihangel Crucorney later in the year."