Organic nursery Growing with Grace is blooming – and residents can become part of its success story.

For a minimum investment, they can buy shares in the Clapham-based project, which offers small-scale bio-diesel production, a community composting scheme, an organic shop, training courses and opportunities to experiment with growing methods.

“This site has fantastic potential and we are very lucky to have it,” said board member Ann Algie. “We want to keep it in the hands of local people and build on what we've got.”

Established in July 2000, Growing with Grace became a community-owned co-operative earlier this year following challenging times financially and a plea to the community for support to protect the business.

“We are in the middle of a share issue in a bid to raise £150,000 to turn Growing with Grace into a centre for gardening, whereby we offer advice, courses and information on growing,” said Ann. “As well as growing and providing our own vegetables to the community, we want to encourage people to grow as much veg of their own as possible as we think this is increasingly important.

“We are extremely concerned that within the next few years we will reach a point where the population of this country struggles to feed itself as we have become over-reliant on supermarkets and less reliant on growing our own food or buying food that is seasonal and locally-grown.”

To date, the co-operative has raised £26,000 and among the shareholders is playwright Alan Bennett, who has a home in the village.

Local people can get an insight into the project at an open day on Saturday. There will be tours around the 2.5 acre site, situated on the A65, at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. It boasts two acres of glasshouses, a bio-diesel processing unit, a forest garden and a shop, which will be open seven days a week in July and August.

“We feel it is essential that we enable this business to develop and grow for the sake of future generations,” said Ann.

Anyone interested in buying shares should e-mail share.issue @growingwithgrace.co.uk or call (015242) 51723. The closing date is Sunday, July 31.