A PURPOSE-BUILT, pedal-powered trike takes to the streets of Darlington this weekend.

The bright yellow machine, which boasts 42 gears, will deliver organic produce from Growing Green at Low Walworth.

The eye-catching trike, to be officially launched in Darlington town centre at 11am tomorrow, is believed to be the first vehicle of its kind to appear on Darlington roads.

The manufacturers, Cycles Maximus of Bath, have built similar pedal power machines which can be seen ferrying tourists round the streets of York.

The trike, whose launch coincides with the availability of the new season's vegetables, was designed for Growing Green and bought through the co-operative's supporters and with help from Local Agenda 21.

Growing Green was founded in 1992 and is involved in several pieces of pioneering work in the development of new methods of organic food production.

It does not sell its produce as such, but supporters pay an annual £174 subscription and receive a free bag of seasonal vegetables each week. They are also actively encouraged to help grow the produce and give other support.

As part of the philosophy behind Growing Green, it only supplies vegetables to people within a five-mile radius of the market garden - which includes Darlington, Newton Aycliffe and a number of villages. The five-mile limit was designed to cut fuel consumption, although the trike has taken that a step further.

Other pioneering work includes a zero tillage policy which rules out ploughing, rotary cultivation or digging. "Ploughing and rotary cultivation is very bad for the soil, it destroys the structure and a lot of the life including worms and micro-organisms," said Dave, the co-founder.

Instead, seed is sown directly into the soil and, in another alternative method, the group uses no animal manures. "We fertilise the soil in a more sustainable way with our own lucerne hay, supplemented with a little home-made compost," said Dave.

As demand for organic produce has exploded, Growing Green has resolutely ignored the opportunity to cash in.

"We are non profit-making," said Dave. "People join the project as supporters and pay the fixed membership subscription and get a bag of produce each week for nine months of the year.

"We are trying to develop new relationships with consumers.

"We do not like the way farmers and other growers send their produce sometimes hundreds of miles away and do not know who is eating it. We encourage members to come to the market garden and help out. Our aim is to make sure all our consumers know how everything is produced and where it has come from."

This year organic wheat, barley and rye cereals are being grown alongside the vegetables. A local micro-brewer is taking the barley.

Meanwhile, the most recent task for some of the supporters has been learning how to pedal the trike.

"It is different from a normal bike and does take some getting used to," said supporter Yvonne Richardson, who was practising in Stanhope Park on Tuesday. "It has 42 gears and will be quite heavy when it is fully laden."

The trike's bright yellow canopy was made by West Cornforth Tarpaulins of Ferryhill and bears eye-catching slogans - "Get in Touch with what you eat!" and "One Less Car" for example - by Graphic Systems of Valley Street, Darlington.

Anyone interested in joining Growing Green can contact them on 01325 362466.