A TEAM of young people are learning to grow vegetables as part of a project to give a walled garden a makeover.

Ministeracres in Consett is working with the Prince’s Trust to offer a four-week intensive programme of practical horticulture to a group of 12 unemployed young people, aged between 16 and 25.

The young people are working in the Christian retreat centre charity’s walled garden, which is managed by environmental consultant Andrew Pennington.

He said: “The students will help us to refurbish the old greenhouse and install an irrigation system into the greenhouse and poly tunnel ready for planting.

“We’ll be growing potatoes, leeks, sprouts, cabbage and onions in the beds, and lettuce, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse and poly tunnels, all of which we hope to have up and running in June.

“The young people in this group haven’t done anything like this before. I hope that we’ll be taking a new group again in September and aim in the long run to have three or four groups a year.”

The team is the 100th one to be put together by the Prince’s Trust in Consett.

Sara-Jane Heslop, delivery partner for Consett and District YMCA, said: “We have worked with and supported at least 1,500 young people aged 16 to 25 since inception of team delivery.

“We go above and beyond the mark to ensure that we offer every possible opportunity of positive progression after the course.”