OXFORD'S local fruit and veg co-operative Cultivate, known to many simply as the VegVan, has made an urgent appeal for supporters' help after a testing and transformational 12 months.

After its famous but ageing van finally packed in last year, the group – founded in 2011 – has now said goodbye to both its managers, Katie Herring and Jack Lawson, in the space of a few months.

Coupled with that, sales have been lower than expected, despite a growing national awareness of carbon footprints and the problems with plastic packaging.

The group is now running a single Sunday stall at Summertown Farmers Market and has put out an advert for Mr Lawson's job – which closes at midday on Monday.

However the co-op is also looking at re-inventing itself, using a new 30-acre plot of food-producing land at South Hinksey.

Offered by the landowner, this land next to Hinksey Heights Golf Club would allow Cultivate to revive one of its original roles, growing its own food.

The group used to grow veg on a plot of land at The Earth Trust in South Oxfordshire, but stopped after that agreement came to an end.

With this in mind, current chairman Tom Carman said Cultivate was at a crossroads which could decide the future.

He said: "Cultivate looks very different to how it looked in 2011.

"When the new operations manager is recruited, they will be supported to deliver in the manner Cultivate operates now, and they will also be supported to develop the next stage of Cultivate’s life. This will include developing the 30 acres at South Hinksey.

"This role will be supported, but it will also be challenging.

"It is also clear that if the role is not filled, it would mean there is no operational team at Cultivate, so whilst our society could still exist, we would need to stop operational work."

When it was set up, Cultivate's ambition was to increase the amount of locally-produced food consumed in Oxfordshire from less than one per cent to ten per cent.

As well as inviting supporters to look into applying for the job, Mr Carman also said anyone who shared Cultivate's values could help in a number of other ways – by volunteering, joining the board of trustees, or simply shopping at the Sunday market stall.

He added: "The primary message now is 'buy your food from Cultivate'.

"When Cultivate set up the simple was to support it was by investing; what i needs now is for people to buy their food from Cultivate and to get involved."

He added: "That is all we need now for members to make sure the things that people invested in at the beginning do actually happen."

Find out more at cultivateoxford.org