The volunteer effort that has created a community garden has been praised.

Richmond and Northallerton MP Rishi Sunak met the villagers who turned a disused allotment into the Bellerby Community Garden.

It was a return visit for Mr Sunak who had seen the project taking shape in 2022.

(Image: Contributor)

The work was led by a steering group backed by many villagers. Funding for materials to create the dry-stone walled raised beds, pathways and a greenhouse came from grants, local businesses and the locality budget of North Yorkshire Cllr Karin Sedgwick.

Mr Sunak said: “The completed garden is wonderful and testament to all the hard work that has gone into creating it.

“The steering group and all those villagers who helped with the work, and the ongoing commitment of maintaining this special space, have done, and are doing, a tremendous thing for the community.”

During his visit Mr Sunak did some work in the new children’s garden, signed the visitors' book and planted a hydrangea. He was pleased to see that the magnolia he planted on his previous visit was thriving.

Robin Turton, a member of the steering group and a dry stone waller who helped create much of the hard landscaping, said: “The group wants to thank Rishi for the interest he has shown in our project and his kind words about what has been created here in Bellerby.”