YOUNG mum Barbara Gash says it is obvious why we don't eat enough fruit-and-veg as a nation - it's just too expensive. "We all know its good for you, but it costs too much.

That's why people aren't eating enough," says Barbara, who is a regular at water-based ante-natal exercise classes at Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre in Bishop Auckland. The mother-of-two from Bishop Auckland is expecting her third child and she's enjoying the chance to exercise in the centre's impressive pool.

The first few classes, taken by qualified experts as part of a healthy living scheme, have been free. Another attraction is that women taking part in aqua-natal sessions are also entitled to a portion of free fruit, as part of a Government-backed drive to increase healthy eating called Five A Day.

Talking to Barbara is public health worker Joanne Coady, who has been in charge of the Five A Day initiative in Darlington and the Durham Dales.

Apart from giving up smoking, just about the healthiest thing you can do is eat more fruit and veg, says Joanne. But figures show that not enough of us do. Government nutritionists say everyone should try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Currently people in the North-East eat an average of three.

Health experts believe that by eating more fruit and vegetables we can reduce our chances of developing cancer and a range of other diseases.

Giving away free fruit to pregnant women who attend the aqua-natal classes is just a small part of a vast range of activities which have been undertaken in the last year as part of the £100,000 Five A Day project.

The drive has seen chefs putting on special healthy eating demonstrations in supermarkets, factory canteens encouraging workers to sample a wider range of fruit and vegetables, farmer's markets and a big push in local schools.

County Durham and Darlington Health Authority is just one of five areas of England currently testing whether they can make a difference to local food consumption. It is almost certain that the Five A Day campaign will go national next year and the lessons learned in the North-East and the other four sites will be employed across the country.

The impact of the campaign - which has been regularly featured in The Northern Echo- is currently being measured by carrying out face-to-face random interviews with 700 people.

Meanwhile, back at the pool, Barbara is holding forth on healthy eating.

"Maybe they should make junk food more expensive and cut the price of fruit and veg," says Barbara, who also feels schools should do more to promote healthier eating. "Kids can have chips everyday if they want, it doesn't seem right," she said.

But Teacher Alyson Jones, another mum-to-be intent on a spot of exercise, believes schools are already doing their bit. Alyson not only knows all about the Five A Day programme, she was planning to use one of the campaign's special menu cards to cook her family's evening meal that night

"It sounds like Alyson was planted to make things look good, but she's not, I can assure you," says Joanne, who swears she's never seen Alyson before.

A teacher at nearby Etherley Primary School, Alyson says fruit and veg is being promoted at her school. "We are definitely doing our bit for healthy eating," she says.

While Alyson and Barbara enjoy their exercise session, Joanne sums up the achievements of the Five A Day campaign so far. "We have made great progress and we have got some great tips to pass on to our colleagues in other parts of the country," says Joanne.

While an independent assessment is currently being undertaken to find out exactly what difference the campaign has made, Joanne is confident that general awareness of healthy eating has increased.

"It has got to the point that when I ring up new organisations and introduce myself people stop me and say 'we know all about Five A Day'. I think we have been able to build up people's awareness," says Joanne.

One of the most novel aspects of the drive was the appointment of Canadian academic Erika O'Hara as the North-East's first Food Access Worker. With hands-on experience of similar projects in Ontario, Erika has been carrying out detailed research into the reasons why many North-Easterners don't eat nearly enough fruit and veg. Her report, which was presented to a recent conference in County Durham, highlights the real barriers posed by high prices and poor transport links.

"It provides clear evidence of the difficulties experienced by some people. In some communities the price of fruit and vegetables can be quite a bit higher in their local shops and people who don't have cars can't get to the supermarkets," says Erika, who studied areas of County Durham and parts of Darlington where access to fruit and vegetables is seen as a problem. She was quite shocked to find that in some areas fruit and vegetables were nearly a third more expensive than in the supermarkets.

Apart from high prices, the lack of transport is a major barrier to healthier eating. "For instance, just under 50 per cent of families in Evenwood do not have access to a car, which means people are forced to shop locally."

That proportion rises to almost 75 per cent in the Skerne Park area of Darlington. "They are in a better situation than in rural areas because they can always walk to the town centre - but for the elderly, disabled people and families with young children, it is difficult to walk back and forth carrying heavy bags," says Erika.

To try to tackle the problem of access there are plans to set up a fruit and veg distribution service to distribute competitively-priced food around the sprawling Darlington housing estate. Even better, it may be possible to tap into free, surplus food donated by supermarkets.

"There is a community worker who runs a caf in Skerne Park who is very keen on promoting fruit and veg. He is interested in the idea of a distribution service," says Erika.

One of the most impressive initiatives Erika has come across is the lunch club run for elderly and disabled people in Willington. "A wonderful group of women have been working on this project since June. They are hoping to have a big event around Christmas time," says Erika, who is due to part company with the Five A Day project in November.

Joanne Coady has been impressed by the willingness of local organisations to get involved in the Five A Day mission.

She particularly singles out supermarket giant Asda for praise, although Morrisons, Safeway, The Co-op, Spar, Kwik Save and Quality Fayre have all got involved. "The Asda Five A Day team have been brilliant. They have been very active in schools and workplaces."

Big employers in the area have also been interested in the scheme, with staff at mobile phone group Orange expressing a lot of interest. "They have installed a salad bar and a juicer for freshly squeezed fruit," says Joanne. "The staff at Orange were asked what they wanted and many sent e-mails to the catering manager saying please can we have fruit and veg in our vending machines. It was superb."

Schools have also got in on the act. Joanne has worked with Darlington Borough Council's school meal service and with the independent caterers Chartwell, which provides school meals for the rest of County Durham.

"They have been reviewing their menus to provide more fruit and vegetables. In many secondary schools they have developed healthy meal deals, increasing fruit sales by offering attractively priced combinations."

A smart card system has also been tried which gives extra points for ordering healthy food - allowing youngsters to get discounts on music and videos. Primary schools have played their part too, with packs containing Five A Day crossword puzzles and quizzes distributed around Darlington and the Dales. Even the Arriva bus company helped by providing the Five A Day campaign with free advertising on their vehicles.

But one of the most unlikely benefits has been the way that the campaign has highlighted the need for more nutritionists working with elderly people. The importance of fruit and veg consumption for elderly people has perhaps been overlooked and Joanne plans to raise the issue with the Department of Health.

"We are hoping that this could influence policy in future, not just locally, but nationally."

Whether the efforts of Joanne and her team has really made a difference should be known soon - but there is no doubt that fruit and veg has never had such a high profile in the region.