A POETRY book written by members of a Darlington community to celebrate the regeneration of a park has been launched.

Our North Lodge Park, which features more than 100 poems, has been a joint project between aspiring local writers and writer-in- residence Maureen Almond.

Between July 2004 and December last year, Ms Almond worked with individuals and groups in the North Lodge community, including two schools, to encourage them to write.

Their work is based around the park, where regeneration work has been ongoing since early 2004.

Ms Almond said: "I would like to thank the local community for embracing this project and sharing their feelings about their local environment.

"This park is well-loved. You only have to read the poetry to understand how special it is.

To commemorate the project, artist Andrew McKeown has created a series of sculptured leaves featuring text from the community's work, which will leave a lasting legacy in the park.

Our North Lodge Park is available from bookshops in Darlington, priced £4.99.