A PROJECT which has been more than five years in the making is finally to be unveiled in Northallerton.

The Millennium Fountain and Memorial Garden in the Applegarth will be officially opened on Saturday, September 3, at 11.30.

The ceremony will be open to the public, and carried out by MP William Hague.

The Northallerton and district Millennium Committee has been working for more than five years on the project to develop the Applegarth and create an attractive outdoor area for the local community.

But the group's vision was repeatedly thwarted by the strict legal contracts which had been put in place to safeguard the land, but which meant that building even a bandstand would be a breach of conditions.

Members' determination has finally paid off, and visitors will now be able to enjoy a new outdoor area complete with landscaping and planting. The garden's crowning glory will be the memorial fountain, made up of a granite ball on a Yorkshire millstone, surrounded by Yorkshire flagstones.

The area will be in memory of former committee members Tom Umpleby and Nancie McDougal, and Patricia Reeve, a member of the town's Lioness club. Committee chairman Cynthia Peacock said the project had received help from many people in the town, and especially from former mayor Coun Tony Hall, and Barkers store owner Charles Barker.

She said: "A lot of people have put a lot of effort into the project in different ways, and it would not have happened without their contributions. The garden and fountain will be a wonderful addition to the town."

Money for the fountain and hard landscaping has all been secured, but the committee would welcome donations for planting. Anyone wishing to contribute is asked to contact Mrs Peacock on 01609 773299.