A NURSERY school has a new garden after a team of volunteers worked all weekend to transform the grounds.

Bessemer Park Nursery School, in Spennymoor, approached Darlington Rotaract Club for help after an Office for Standards in Education report recommended better use of the grounds. The club had previously done a similar job at the Butterwick Hospice garden.

President Melanie Cormack said she was overwhelmed by the number of supporters who turned up to help.

She said: "It was fantastic, because the amount of people who came and gave up their spare time was amazing."

Helpers included staff and students from Ferryhill Comprehensive School, where Ms Cormack works as a teacher, members of Ferryhill, Newton Aycliffe and Darlington Interact clubs, parents, staff and governors from the nursery and helpers from a nearby youth club.

The Ferryhill garden centre Knot 'n' Grain also helped by making and putting up the fence and trellis and got children working on bird feeders. Volunteers cleared the ground and dug it before laying plastic sheeting.

Stepping stones were laid, which will lead children round the features in the garden, including a bridge with a fake pond, a willow cave, and a bird bath and bird table.

Ms Cormack said: "It has been really exciting for everybody because we didn't think we'd get as far as we did."

Most of the hard work has been done and the finishing touches will be applied over the next few days.