FUNDING to improve a community orchard has been welcomed by volunteers.

Reeth Community Orchard Group has received £21,500 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Living Spaces initiative.

The money will be used to carry out further restoration work to the walled garden, to provide gates, enabling access to the garden from the rear and to buy benches.

The hardwood benches have already been ordered from Reeth designer Peter Cummings.

Brenda Allen, spokeswoman for the group, said: "This money is a bit like the icing on the cake for us.

"It will be used to buy special items like the benches and back gates.

"The volunteers have worked really hard to get the garden open, but now we need skilled labour for the finishing touches."

The garden was taken over by the volunteers after previously belonging to Barclays Bank, which shut down its branch three years ago.

The community group also plans to spend some of the money on a lawnmower and other tools.

"We want to make the garden as easy to maintain as possible," said Mrs Allen.

In total, 16 groups in Yorkshire and Humberside shared £300,000 awarded from the Living Spaces programme.

The aim of the initiative is to help communities create cleaner and greener neighbourhoods.