YOUNGSTERS can now complete their dream community garden thanks to a National Lottery grant.

Children from St John's Chapel School, in Weardale, have worked hard together with their teachers and parents to create a jubilee garden on the site of the school's kitchens, which have been demolished.

They are now able to complete the project and celebrate its opening with a Golden Jubilee party after they were awarded £3,238 from the National Lottery's Awards for All programme.

Chairman of the school governors Mark Oliphant said: "We are thrilled to get the award.

"For a group like ours, this is a large sum of money and will help to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee and to finish the garden project.''

It is intended that the garden should also be enjoyed by the community as well as pupils from the school.

The garden will have wild grassland, bog, heather moor and a stone garden and most of it is accessible by wheelchair.

Most of the work has been carried out at weekends, on designated garden days, and a lot of fundraising has been carried out by the Friends of the School, teachers and pupils.

Other funding has come from the Seed Challenge Fund and the CDENT Environment Fund.

The children, who have been involved in the project as much as possible, will continue to assist in its upkeep and further development.

The garden has been called The Jubilee Garden to mark the Queen's jubilee and its opening will coincide with the jubilee celebrations.