A TAPESTRY is being created in honour of a remote youth hostel's methods of saving energy and protecting the countryside.

The work of art will go on display at various venues to highlight efforts made by manager Ewan Boyd in the hostel at Langdon Beck, in the hills near Barnard Castle.

Craft workers and volunteers gathered yesterday to start work on the tapestry.

Anne Noble, manager of the Craft Works group and organiser of the tapestry project, said: "The hostel is doing wonderful work to save the world's resources and protect the environment. It is all quite inspiring."

A wind turbine which came into use this summer will produce 75 per cent of the electricity the hostel needs, and solar panels can provide half the hot water required.

Seven butts collect rain and cut down the amount of water needed from taps. A reed bed filters water from a septic tank and sends a pure supply into a stream without damaging flower meadows.

All kitchen and garden waste is composted into fertiliser for the garden, which has reduced rubbish collections by 25 per cent. Wildlife is helped by minimal use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and brushwood is put in a pile as a habitat for insects.

Mr Boyd also has a re-use bank, in which hostellers or local residents can leave items they no longer want, and others who have a use for them can take them free of charge.

His methods have reduced the hostel's carbon dioxide emissions from 40 tons a year a few years ago to 14 tons last year. He said: "I'm delighted that the craftspeople are making a lasting record of our efforts, and hope many people enjoy looking at it for years to come."

Published: 17/09/2004