THE diocese of Worcester has joined forces with Warwickshire College, and the Apprentice Academy of the agricultural equipment manufacturers AGCO, to send a tractor to the village of Tunguli, in Tanzania. It was the Archdeacon of Worcester, the Ven. Roger Morris, who had the idea.

On a recent visit to Worcester's link diocese of Morogoro, in Tanzania, it struck him how much of a difference a tractor could make to the cultivation of about 200 acres that surround Tunguli village. The produce from the land, when sold, could help the villagers to turn their very basic clinic into a proper medical centre; and the tractor could also be used within a local co-operative to enable others to farm their own small pieces of land.

So a search was made for a suitable second-hand tractor, and a Massey Ferguson 265 was eventually delivered to Warwickshire College, in Morton Morrell. It will now be worked on by students, including AGCO apprentices, "and it will be a great opportunity for them to get some real hands-on experience," the engineering-course tutor, Tim Hutchinson, says.

"The first- and second-year students will do the mechanical repairs, and the third year will do a range of diagnostic tests to ensure the final result is as good as we can possibly make it. We're also planning to link with some of our motor-vehicle and welding and fabrication students to help improve the tractor's bodywork. In a little over a year, the tractor will be in much better condition, and will be ready to be sent to Yunguli."