Customers at four village shops in west Oxfordshire will soon be able to ask for verses with their vegetables.

Cotswold poets Marcus Moore and Sara-Jane Arbury will bring poetry to life in a project called Village Verses - Poetry in Village Shops, which will run from March 12 to May 27.

It is the brainchild of The Theatre, Chipping Norton, West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire Rural Community Council.

The two poets, who live in Cirencester, will spend two weeks at a time in the Post Offices and stores at Standlake, Wootton, Kingham and Great Tew. They hope to chat to shoppers about poetry and village life, as well as composing a specially-commissioned poem for each village.

Mr Moore said: "We have the chance to explore the lives of villagers through workshops and performances and produce works that will be hopefully be celebrated by them many years hence."

The district council's arts development officer Hannah Cervenka said: "Village Verses will offer villagers the opportunity to become involved in an arts project on their own doorstep."

Village Verses is part of the Artist of the Year programme and has received a 5,000 grant from Southern Arts. It will culminate with a poetry event Stanza and Deliver! at The Theatre, Chipping Norton on May 27.