A farm shop and vegetable box company has confirmed it is to take over Yalding Organic Gardens.

The Langley-based Maro Foods company hopes to transform the gardens into a centre of excellence for organic food production.

The announcement comes just over a month after Garden Organic said it could no longer run the centre because it was a drain on charity's funds.

Trustees of the Congelow Educational Trust, which owns the land in Benover Road, were determined to find another business to keep the place open.

The gardens will now re-open to the public on Saturday, May 24.

Maro Foods was set up in 2005 and owns The Old Dairy farm shop at Langley, near Maidstone. They also run a veg box scheme across west Kent.

See this week's Kent Messenger for full story