A PIONEERING charity which provides a valuable service to the community has won an award.

Northallerton's Chopsticks, which is running an appeal to raise £850,000 to buy land and acquire premises in the town, has won an Duke of York Community Initiative Award administered by the St William's Foundation, York.

The award was made for the contribution Chopsticks has been making since 1995 by providing work activities and training for people with learning disabilities.

Every week they convert about five tonnes of scrap timber into packaged firewood for delivery to coal merchants and retailers.