A GROUP of volunteers has won a national award for its environmental endeavours.

Action North Skelton, which tackles environmental and social problems in the town, won a bronze award in the National Green Apple Environment Awards for community organisations, supported by the Environment Agency.

Over the last 12 years, the group has raised funds to build a children's playground, a BMX track, a football and basketball pitch and planted hundreds of plants and trees around the town.

Members have also had a scale model of North Skelton mines put on show in the town and installed seats and flower beds around the railway line.

Jean Tokarski, the group's treasurer, said: "We are delighted with the award.

"North Skelton was a mining village and was becoming derelict. It was somewhere people used as a stepping stone until they could find somewhere better to live.

"But over the past 12 years we've built it up and refurbished as much as we could to make it a better place to live."

The group succeeded despite 500 entries in the campaign to reward environmental best practice, led by The Green Organisation.

The organisation invites entries from any council, company, or community which is making an effort to protect or enhance the environment. For more information, call (01604) 810507.