TEA and cake in the sunshine marked the first anniversary of ‘Britain’s Smallest Park’ today (Wednesday, July 29).

Crowds gathered at the tiny Councillor Gerald Lee Pocket Park to celebrate the blossoming of a heartfelt community project.

The colourful site, on Darlington’s Victoria Embankment, was transformed by a team of devoted volunteers from a derelict patch of land into a pretty park, now in full bloom.

It was named in honour of the town’s former mayor and environmental activist Cllr Gerald Lee, who was in attendance along with his successor, Cllr Tom Nutt.

The dignitaries mixed with local residents and others to enjoy a tea party in the park, with cake and refreshments courtesy of Darlington business Mrs Palmer’s Pantry.

The communal nature of the birthday party was indicative of the community spirit behind the project, according to Paul Harman.

Mr Harman worked with the South Terrace Residents Association and other volunteers to create the park and hopes to inspire others to follow their lead.

He said: “We’re pleased that the idea of pocket park has taken off and others are starting to take over patches of neglected land and turning them into something beautiful.

“All it takes is two or three people to work and it’s a wonderful feeling walking past it and thinking ‘I did that’.”

Darlington’s mayor also urged others to get involved in similar projects, saying that austerity-driven cuts meant more impetus would be on people to look after their communities.

Cllr Tom Nutt said: “Communities are going to have to do more in the future.

“The community spirit here is great and we need to initiate that around the town and get people to work together.

“With the massive cuts we’ve faced, it’s a good thing to get people together doing proactive things for each other.”

Former mayor, Cllr Gerald Lee, said the park named in his honour set an example to everybody and demonstrated the pride of the community in their neighbourhood.