THE garden of a Stockton care home has been turned into a wildlife haven thanks to the efforts of a group of students.

Pupils from The Norton School built bird boxes and feeders for the residents of Cherry Tree Lodge.

Aaron Wray, Sean Lane, Paul Murtagh, Joe Hollingworth, Ben Stockton and Niki Butterfield gave the residents the chance to decide how to make best use of the volunteers and they decided they wanted to see more birds in the care home gardens.

The group also persuaded headteacher Paul Wray, to donate an additional £70, for an ornamental water fountain.

Mr Wray said: "You read so may bad things about young people at the moment, from vandalism and asbos, to underage drinking and reckless driving, that our pupils decided to take it upon themselves to try and change attitudes in the local area.

"They wanted to show the older generations that not all young people can be lumped under the same stereotype and that many, particularly those living in the Norton area, are actually very considerate and thoughtful."

Care home manager Christine Conway said: "The recent makeover of our gardens had already helped to make them a little prettier, with the planting of many fresh bulbs and seeds, but the addition of bird boxes and feeders will certainly help to attract more wildlife."