VOLUNTEERS behind a ‘secret garden’ project are hoping a nationally accredited compost will help it to bloom.

Yorwaste has provided 20 bags of its new Yorganics compost to the Northallerton Secret Garden Project.

This is a project initiated and supported by the Northallerton United Reformed Church to restore a neglected garden to the south of the church, behind the High Street.

The compost is being used to grow the organic fruit and vegetables which will be given to volunteers and donated to the food bank in Northallerton.

Steven Midgley, Manager of Yorwaste’s Tancred Depot where much of the compost is made, said: “We are pleased to have been able to provide the compost for such a worthwhile project and we are confident it will help the fruit and vegetables to grow.

“We only launched Yorganics this summer and it is already selling well, a big selling point being it is a 100 per cent recycled, peat-free locally sourced and produced compost.

“It is also accredited to the British Standards Institution (BSI) PASS 100 Standard, which means it has met rigorous tests for its quality.”

Liz Styan, one of the volunteers working on the project, said: “We would like to thank Yorwaste for providing the compost. We used some earlier this year for a variety of flowers and vegetables and now look forward to increasing our production next year with this new compost. It is lovely stuff.”

As well as producing fruit and vegetables, the other main aims of the Northallerton Secret Garden Project are to provide a therapeutic space for individuals and groups and to increase wildlife and biodiversity within the heart of the town.

For more information on the Northallerton Secret Garden Project, contact Liz Styan on 07902-348850.