A BASINGSTOKE charity is in with a chance of winning a share of £3million of Big Lottery funding after being shortlisted in an ITV competition.

Inspero's SowGood2Eat is one of five projects in the final of ITV Meridian West's People's Projects, and will feature on the news programme this evening.

Members of the charity, which runs community gardens in the town, were filmed by ITV at a community garden behind Kempshott Village Hall, in Pack Lane and at Basingstoke College of Technology, in Worting Road.

If successful, Inspero will receive £50,000 to expand its project to education people about food.

The group will expand its services to the local women's refuge service and their children, and families using food banks, and will also support local schools to set up their own edible gardens and take part in outdoor activities.

Inspero is up against four other community projects which feature on ITV each night this week.

They are a service providing affordable and fun activities for vulnerable families and children, based in Dovecote, a project supporting people living with dementia, covering South Hampshire and Wessex, a choir for people living with cancer, which runs in Poole and a programme for older people and young adults with learning disabilities based in Havant.

Catherine Waters-Clark, who founded Inspero, said: "This is a great opportunity for such a small organisation as Inspero."

She added: "That kind of money is life-changing for an organisation like us because we are very small. It will help us expand and be able to run more parent and children and more family programme."

ITV's Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid said: "The People's Projects is an exciting opportunity for you to make a difference to your community. All you have to do to get involved is vote. We are showcasing shortlisted projects across ITV Meridian West so you'll see who is competing for the funding in your area. So tune in and get voting."

Dawn Austwick, Big Lottery Fund chief executive, added: "Each year we make 13,000 awards to groups and projects that make lives and communities better. The People's Projects put you in charge of where money will be spent where you live, so make sure that you get online to pick your winning project."

Voting is now open at thepeoplesprojects.org.uk and closes at midday on Sunday, March 13.