A FAMILY firm has won a major award for its landscaping work on the Duchess of Northumberland's multi-million pound gardens, dubbed the Versailles of the North.

Staff from Trevor Atkinson's company, which he runs from his home at Mickleton, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, spent a year laying turf, planting trees and doing other work in the grounds at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland.

Now the firm has won a plaque in the annual awards of the British Association of Landscape Industries in a section for large schemes covering more than a hectare.

Mr Atkinson said: "We were delighted to be chosen to work on such a major scheme at the castle, and thrilled to win such a prestigious honour.

"All our work had to be done carefully to blend in with the historic surroundings."

The Duchess, Lady Jane Percy, dreamed of re-building the gardens in 1996 when she moved into Alnwick Castle with her husband, the 12th Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy.

Television cameras followed the garden from the construction of the central cascade, one of 25 water features, to the selection of trees in Belgian nurseries.

Prince Charles opened the first phase of the gardens on September 2 last year.

Mr Atkinson's son, Richard, was in charge of the work at Alnwick along with three of the staff -Martin Saltmarsh, Ronnie Readman and Andrew Coates.

They were helped at times by eight of the firm's other workers.

The four men went to the Marriott Hotel, in London, to receive the plaque.

The company laid three acres of turf, put down 3,000 metres of gravel paths, installed water supplies to planting areas, did work on ornamental walls, put in 30,000 shrubs, and planted 40,000 beech trees as well as 900 mature carpinus trees and 2,000 yews and red sentinals.

The family firm, which was started 30 years ago and has done landscaping work all over the North East, was chosen as a sub-contractor at the castle by McAlpine, the main contractor.