Garden project wins big award

A garden project in North Yorkshire has been awarded £50,000 by TV show Peoples Million.

The National Lottery-funded show picked out the Helmsley Walled Garden as one of eight national finalists, according to the Darlington and Stockton Times.

It came down to either the Yorkshire garden or Hustlewaite Parish Council to win, with the public voting for the garden.

Helmsley manager Rebecca Williams told the newspaper that the gardens community use made it the natural winner of a competition dedicated to the people of Britain.

"As well as restoring and protecting this important historic garden for local people to enjoy, our work will also allow horticultural therapy for special needs students and people with disabilities to come from miles around," she said.

The garden has already had around £1 million worth of renovations carried out and the £50,000 prize money will go towards a sensory garden and enhanced learning facilities for green-fingered kids.

Hopefully the improvements will inspire local children to take up gardening for themselves and get them out into their parents greenhouses looking to learn about the wonders of horticulture.