A Wiltshire fruit and vegetable wholesaler is urging people to continue to buy local to help businesses survive the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Lovejoys Wholesale, of Melksham, specialises in supplying fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products and bread to customers in west Wiltshire, Bath, North East Somerset and south Gloucestershire.

The fifth generation family business was supplying food boxes to nearby primary schools for three weeks until the government's free school meal vouchers kicked in.

Now that income has dried up because parents, guardians and carers are only allowed to spend the £30 vouchers in the big high street supermarkets.

Neil Mortimer, a director of Lovejoys, based in Commerce Way, Melksham, said: "When the new term started in January, the schools did not have vouchers available and were providing boxes purchased from contractors.

"We supplied around 600 food boxes to up to eight local primary schools in the first three weeks of the new term.

"But now that the government and Wiltshire Council have introduced the food vouchers that income has gone.

"As a local business trying to keep business during this difficult time, if vouchers are the only thing schools can use we would lose out to the supermarkets.

"Parents are having to spend the vouchers in the big supermarkets because they have no option so we entirely lost that income stream.

"We had been supplying several primary schools in Melksham, Chippenham, Trowbridge and North Bradley but they have all stopped using us and have gone over to vouchers.

"We were providing them with fresh fruit and veg that was grown in our market garden at Bromham but now they are getting it from the supermarkets.

"The schools now have the voucher system in place that seems to pay more to the families than if they buy the actual fruit and veg boxes from us. I have asked Wiltshire Council for clarification on this."

Mr Mortimer added: "Our main market is the hospitality sector but all the hotels, pubs, restaurants and cafes are closed because of the lockdown restrictions.

"We still supply care homes, village shops and farm shops, and have introduced a click and collect service for complete boxes of fruit and veg for individual customers who wish to order online.

"We are appealing to people to support their local businesses and buy local. If the businesses don't survive, jobs will be lost.

"We just appeal to everyone in the area to support all local businesses during this time, to help the local producers and growers and the economy.

"Buy local when you can, use your local farm shops, village shops, or a local supplier where possible."

He added: "We just have to look at the hospitality trade as being in hibernation and that all will be well in the summer.

"In the meantime, we stick to the wholesale trade we have, the care homes, schools and nurseries, farm shops, and village shops.

"We also have the click and collect fruit and veg shop on our website, lovejoyswholesale.com, and also click and collect fruit, veg and salad boxes."

Lovejoys Wholesale employs more than 50 people at its warehouses in Commerce Way and has 17 delivery vehicles on the road.

The family have been involved in the fresh produce industry for five generations, starting with Jack Rose in the 19th century.

His son Charlie Rose carried on the market garden making rounds on his horse and cart to Bath, Devizes and Swindon.

Charlie's son-in-law, Tony Mortimer, was the next to take over and started buying in produce to sell, as well as what was grown by him locally.

Customers included shops, pubs, schools and his own retail outlets. Surplus produce was then sold to the wholesale market in Bristol.

Tony's son, Neil, joined the business after studying at the world-renowned Pershore College of Horticulture. He returned to Bromham and helped to expand the farm to over 250 acres and grow the retail arm of the business.

In recent years, Neil has been joined by his sons, George and Ben Mortimer, who represent the future of the business.

Mr Mortimer said: "Today Lovejoys is now purely a wholesaler but with our experience and local knowledge we buy the majority of our produce from Bromham and the local area.

"A lot of our produce and locally-made products is grown or produced to order for us."