Helmsley Walled Garden given £130,000 lottery cash boost

A North Yorkshire garden has been awarded £130,000 to train volunteers in plant propagation.

Helmsley Walled Garden will use the National Community Lottery Fund money to set up a three-year programme called "Learning to Grow".

It would also create job opportunities and traineeships, the charity said.

The garden's executive director said the funding would make a "huge impact" on those who help to maintain the five-acre public attraction.

The money for the garden, which has more than 100 volunteers, will be distributed annually over the course of three years.

June Tainsh, executive director, said: "One of the areas I am most excited about is being able to support volunteers looking for future employment and keen to learn more about plant propagation.

"Now we will be able to offer a 12-month part-time traineeship each year, enabling a transition into paid employment."

She added: "This will make a huge impact on those volunteers who are able to work but have found barriers to entering the workplace for a range of reasons."

Built in 1759, the garden sits beneath the ruins of Helmsley Castle and has been open to visitors for more than 25 years.

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