ORTON Primary School is poised to transform its school meals service and deliver a pioneering shot in the arm for the local food economy as well as create new jobs.

Having secured vital funding from the Cumbria Fells & Dales Leader Plus programme to opt out of Cumbria's centralised school meals service, the school is now set to appoint a part-time local food procurement officer and manager'.

A further aim of the project will be to make the school kitchen more viable by setting up a local catering business, which it is hoped will eventually employ parents from the village.

Crucial to the school's decision to opt out of the county council's school meals service was the need to appoint someone to organise a local sourcing network and deal with all the paperwork, as well as finding cash to fund the new post.

"The headmistress and governors couldn't afford the time," explained Veronica Waller, of Leader Plus, when she revealed details of the plan at this week's Cumbria Rural Forum conference held at Kendal College. "And this wouldn't have happened without any pump-priming. But, if appointing someone works, it could lead to the school sourcing its food locally and, potentially, a new catering business."

It is expected that the procurement officer will make use of Orton's award-winning farmers' market and there could be a link with nearby Westmorland Services which, as well as its two motorway farm shops, also has bulk-buying powers for its M6 restaurants.

One of the prime-movers of Orton Primary School's proposals is local farmer and vice chairman of school governors Steve Dunning who is passionate about the local procurement plan. He told the Rural Forum: "This will help the sustainability of the school. If the school kitchen starts making money, it will go back into school. I think this whole idea can really go places. It's our way of keeping the school going."

Orton Primary School, which averages 60 pupils, has long been a supporter of going it alone' it was one of the first primary schools to opt for grant-maintained status back in the early 90s. Running its own school meals service has also been on the agenda for some time but it is only with the imminent shake-up of the county council catering service that Orton now has the chance to fulfil its dream.

The aim is to have the procurement officer in post by April and when the Leader Plus funding runs out in 18 months that the local food scheme will be taken over by the Friends of Orton Primary School.