A SCHEME to transform wasteland into a community garden has received a £500 boost.

Waterhouses Community Association has received the grant from the North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op's Community Dividend Fund.

The association runs a community centre on the site of the former Co-op building in Station Street, Waterhouses, which opened in 2000 and hosts many groups including a computer club, a theatre group, an arts and crafts club and a mothers and toddlers' group.

Resident Lesley Boyd has drawn up plans for a village garden on wasteland at the back of the building, which is not being used at present.

The plans include a seating area, raised beds with sensory planting for people with impaired vision and plants to encourage wildlife.

It is envisaged that work on the garden will be carried out by volunteers, including members of the youth club, under the guidance of a qualified horticulturist.

A Co-op spokesman said: "In the past 12 months, more than £140,000 has been donated to more than 300 organisations across the North thanks to the Community Dividend Fund."