A TEAM of hard working youngsters on a Bishop Auckland housing estate have been helping elderly and disabled residents to tidy their gardens.

Auckland Youth and Community Centre, on the Woodhouse Close Estate, enlisted the help of 15 young people, including members of the centre's gardening club, to trim overgrown hedges and lawns of council house tenants.

Youth worker Nigel Hogg said the volunteers wanted to help those residents who had struggled to maintain their gardens since Wear Valley District Council cut its maintenance program.

He said: "Some of the overgrown gardens are encouraging people to dump rubbish, and people are running through them, which distresses the residents.

"All the young people volunteered their time in the summer holidays because they want to give something back to the community.

"The people we're helping really appreciate it and it is nice to show that most of the local kids are good."

The gardening tools the children used will be available for hire for local residents through a loan scheme.