A PILOT scheme to encourage people in County Durham to eat more fruit and vegetables has been hailed a success.

The Take Five project, which ran across the Dales and Darlington over the past year, urged people to eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetable each day.

An independent survey at the end of the project found that 20 per cent more people in the district had started introducing more fruit and vegetables into their diets, with the number of people eating more healthy foods up from 35 per cent to 55 per cent.

In Weardale, the number of people eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables each day increased to 27 per cent.

The message really hit home in Teesdale, where more than 50 per cent of people ate more fruit and vegetables.

As part of the project, organised by County Durham and Darlington NHS, activities were held to help raise awareness and change attitudes to healthy eating habits.

Theme days and cookery demonstrations were held in supermarkets, schools, workplaces and leisure centres, and leaflets were distributed at farmers' markets and doctors' surgeries.

Work was also undertaken to make fresh fruit and vegetables in deprived areas more available and affordable.

Joanne Coady, Take Five coordinator, said: "I am very pleased that the survey showed that attitude changes are moving in the right direction.

"The age group 18 to 24 has had the best improvements in attitudes, and success has been shown in reaching disadvantaged groups."