Vegetables and everything about them will be the basis for a brand new theme park in Warwickshire - Vegetable Kingdom.

Rugby Borough Council has given its backing to the �1.7m project based at Ryton Organic Gardens near Rugby.

Vegetable Kingdom is expected to create jobs and boost tourism in the area.

And although it may not have the thrills and spills rides of Alton Towers, those involved in the unique project say there will be more than enough to keep all ages amused.

'Vegetable celebration'

Jackie Gear, Executive Director of the Henry Doubleday Research Association at Ryton Organic Gardens, said: "The theme park will be a celebration of vegetables and we believe it is the first of its kind in the world.

"Everything you ever wanted to know about vegetables, you will be able to find out at Vegetable Kingdom.

"On the one hand there will be the jolly side of things.

"We want to interest kids in eating more vegetables so there will be a lot of touchy, feely, smelly hands-on type activities in the visitor centre.

"For example the kids will be able to press a button and find out what cabbage smells like or pull carrots up from the ground."

An amphitheatre will also be built into the theme park for displays and demonstrations.

Meanwhile visitors will be able to view staff working in Ryton Organic Gardens heritage seed library, which contains 800 rare vegetable varieties.

Ms Gear said: "The library will show the more serious side of the park in that vegetables are living things and some varieties are threatened with extinction."

Lottery funding

The visitor centre building will be shaped like a mound of earth to give people the feeling of "going underground" while the supporting pillars will be shaped like carrot roots.

Funding for the project is coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.

Ryton Organic Gardens gave also raised �400,000 towards the project.

Ms Gear added: "We already have people who come into the area from all over the world and we hope this will increase when the park is open."

Vegetable World is expected to open to the public in Spring 2003.