BANK bosses swapped the office for a day in the country to take part in a garden makeover.

Thirteen senior managers from the Royal Bank of Scotland volunteered to rejuvenate a wildlife garden managed by Durham Wildlife Trust, attached to Strikes Garden Centre in Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street.

The group, from the bank's Card Centres in Gateshead and Harrogate, North Yorkshire, painted picnic tables and seats, cleared overgrown vegetation from the picnic area, fixed new guttering to a potting shed and painted it, and cleared a path through the garden's orchard.

"The garden looks fantastic and the teams have worked incredibly hard to achieve as much as they have," said Janetta Scurfield, who has volunteered at the garden for 17 years.

"To see it back at its best is incredible and we're very grateful to the teams for their work."

Claire Ambrose, from the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "To look at this gem of a place, there is a sense of shared achievement which is made better by the fact that we have all given something back to the community."

The garden is open to the public during weekends and bank holidays.

For details call Mark James at Durham Wildlife Trust on 0191-584 3112.