KIND-HEARTED computer staff rolled up their sleeves and swapped their laptops for spades and shovels to give a day’s hard graft for charity.

Twelve members of North Yorkshire County Council’s Technology and Change Department transformed a garden run by charity Just- the-Job, a not-for-profit social enterprise for adults with disabilities in Richmond.

The authority’s IT manager Gavin Booth said : “One of our team, asset support analyst Mandy Swainston, whose daughter, Lisa, is a member of Just-the-Job, came up with the idea – and we all agreed.

“The council gave their approval, giving us an extra day off. It was very hard work but fun. We cleared part of an orchard and a large vegetable plot. It was unfamiliar territory for us but we managed scything, mowing, strimming, raking, digging and forking – and hopefully made a difference.”