Gardeners are being invited along to one of the UK's first community seed swaps.

There will be speakers and films on biodiversity, the importance of seed saving, biopiracy, genetics and related gardening topics and displays and stalls by community allotment groups and organic seed companies, as well as the seed swap itself.

Andrea Goring, from the Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group, said: "Unprecedented changes are taking place in the world of seeds with five corporations vying for control of the world's food production.

"Millions of acres of farmland have been planted with genetically modified crops, farmers are being taken to court for the age-old practice of seed saving, while patented seeds are becoming commonplace in catalogues.

"In Britain the farming community is facing its worst crisis in living memory and we have lost 97 per cent of our vegetable varieties in the last 100 years. This is a mass extinction every bit as important as the loss of species from the rainforests."

Seedy Saturday takes place on Saturday, February 9, at St George's Hall, St George's Road, Kemp Town, Brighton, at 11am- 4pm. Entrance is £1.

There will also be a creche, deaf interpreter, organic cafe and full disabled access.

To find out more, call Ms Goring on 01273 882552.