MOTHER of two keen young tractor fans, Alexandra Heard, was so frustrated there were no videos on the market that she decided to make her own.

So Tractorland was born, a series of videos about tractors and their role in producing food for the community.

From her home at Spye Park, near Bromham, Mrs Heard teamed up with two close friends, Bath-based farmer David Horler and Gus Colquhoun of Jacaranda Productions in London.

They set out to fulfil not only their own children's passion, but that of countless small children throughout the country by making the ultimate children's companion series of videos about farm machinery. The first three videos, the fruits of two years of production, went on sale last week.

The first is Tractor Ted Goes Milking where grass is cut, rolled into bales and then covered with black plastic to protect it from the elements. The video goes further to show dairy cows being fed the silage during winter, being milked and the process that brings the milk from the farm to the supermarket.

The two other videos show the process of growing wheat and the planting and harvesting of potatoes.

Mrs Heard said: "Both my sons William, three, and Henry, five, have been mad about tractors for ages.

"But I was really disappointed to find that there were no serious videos that showed children of that age how tractors work and how agricultural machinery operates on the farm.

"I thought there was a big gap in the market and so the three of us got together to fill that need with young children.

"We did a pilot video last year and the feedback was tremendous.

"We came up with the idea of creating Tractor Ted, a friendly animated tractor who would narrate the series.

"We got James D'Arcy from BBC's Nicholas Nickelby to do the voice over.

"It is his tremendous enthusiasm which really makes it."

Most of the filming was done on Mr Horler's farm in north Somerset.

For young tractor lovers the videos offer plenty of opportunity to see the big red and blue machines going about their day to day work around the farm and also helping them to learn about the agricultural year.

To order copies of the videos, which are priced at £12.99 each or £35 for the set of three, contact Mrs Heard on (01380) 850787.

Or visit the website www.tractorland.co.uk