A GROUP of volunteers has won a national award for its environmental work.

Action North Skelton, which tackles environmental and social problems in North Skelton, near Guisborough, won a bronze in this year's National Green Apple Environment Awards for community organisations, and is supported by the Environment Agency.

During the past 12 years, the group has raised funds to build a children's playground, a BMX track, a football and basketball pitch and planted hundreds of plants and trees around the small town.

Members have also put a scale model of North Skelton mines on show in North Skelton and installed seats and flower beds around the railway line.

Jean Tokarski, treasurer of Action North Skelton, said: "We are delighted with the award. North Skelton was a mining village and was becoming derelict and somewhere people used as a stepping stone until they could find somewhere better to live.

"But over the past 12 years, we have built it up and refurbished as much as we could to make it a better place to live."

The group succeeded, despite 500 entries in this year's campaign, to reward environmental best practice, led by The Green Organisation, a non-political and non-activist group.

The organisation invites entries from councils, companies, and communities trying to protect or enhance the environment.

For more information, contact the group on (01604) 810507.