Visitors to Lindisfarne this summer have been enjoying losing themselves in a specially planted maize maze created by three local farmers.

Danny Hodgson and his son Richard, of Red Steads Farm, near Alnwick, joined forces with Robert Brigham, whose family have farmed St Coombs Farm, on Holy Island for generations, to boost sales of vegetables grown on the island and to offer added attractions for visitors.

Their efforts have been supported by Defra's Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), delivered by the Rural Development Service (RDS), and the funding they received helped purchase a new vehicle and chill unit to help pick and store the fruit and vegetables and to add a raised gantry, telescope, pedal tractors and picnic tables around the maze.

They were able to take advantage of processes introduced last summer to speed up the processing of small projects. These 'Fast-track' processes are applied by RDS to all new RES projects asking for grant of up to £15,000, and the aim is to process them fully within one month of submission (subject to all associated supporting documentation being enclosed).

Danny Hodgson explained:

"Both farms have Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreements - we were among the first to sign up around 14 years ago - and we've created new footpaths, planted hedges, created new ponds and helped improve the habitat for birds and other wildlife.

"We believe this is the way St Coombs should be farmed and we wanted people to be able to come here to enjoy the island and its fantastic views.

"This is the second year we've planted the maze and it's been really popular. We wanted to offer visitors something a bit different and the new rest area, gantry and telescope means they can now enjoy the views and watch the nearby seal colony.

"We're growing 34 varieties of vegetables in the fields here and four varieties of strawberries - all hand dug, sown and picked, it's very labour intensive. We then sell it on the stall near the maze.

Alistair Gray, an adviser at the Rural Development Service in the North East, said:

"The maze is a wonderful, eco-friendly new attraction on the island and once it's finished the season the maize itself provides a good source of food and cover for over wintering wild birds on the island.

"Many farmers are now selling their produce direct to consumers, either through farmers' markets, farm shops or online and here they are successfully using a mix of 'outlets' to maximise sales and ensure the long term viability of their businesses."

The Lindisfarne Maize Maze will remain open to visitors until mid-September and fruit and vegetables will be on sale until mid-October.