A new local foods officer has been appointed to give a boost to Wiltshire producers.

Lian Doble has joined North Wiltshire District Council to create a network and new marketing opportunities for local food producers. Her post is funded jointly by the South West Regional Development Agency, the district council, Wiltshire County Council and the Soil Association.

Together they set up the Wiltshire Food Links partnership in April, and Ms Doble's brief is to develop and strengthen the partnership. She will also be a first point of contact for producers with queries about marketing and co-operative working.

Ms Doble, who has a degree in animal science, comes from Cornwall, where she has many links with the local food sector through her father's wholesale business and cousins' farms.