GREEN-FINGERED children are paving the way for a sensory garden at one of North Yorkshire's ancient monuments.

English Heritage is working with more than 50 youngsters, aged between 11 and 16, from Welburn Hall School, near Kirkbymoorside, on a project to design a ten metre square plot at the 900 year-old Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley.

The project has been funded through Yorkshire Forward's Creative Minds, a four-year science-study scheme that aims to offer children inspirational and creative learning opportunities.

It will see the creation of a garden, inspired by the Cistercian ruin's history and the herbs and plants grown in medieval times.

Pupils came up with their own ideas for its layout and have spent four days helping archaeologists check the ground for relics before the soil is turned over. Planting should begin in spring next year.

English Heritage education assistant Kim Naylor-Vane said: "This has been a real hands-on project, getting children to use their imaginations before searching for buried archaeology. It has also provided a focal point for wide-ranging studies, from the lives of the monks to stained glass window design."

Children will help with the planting and tend to the garden in future years.

Rievaulx Abbey is open daily from 10am to 6pm.