GREEN-FINGERED youngsters have been presented with awards for their work on an Anglo-Saxon community garden in their village.

Sadberge, near Darlington, is an Anglo-Saxon village so a project was launched a year ago to start a garden reflecting the history of the village and educating local children about farming and gardening.

The Sedberg Anglo-Saxon Farmers’ Family Community Gardening Group was formed and a plot was selected in the shadow of the historic St Andrew’s Church, which stands on the site of an old Saxon castle.

The young members of the group, aged between two and 11, meet weekly to learn how to grow vegetables and to find out how people survived by living off the land in Anglo-Saxon times.

The children have done so well in the first year that they were presented with trophies in the village hall by Peter Barron, County Durham Deputy Lieutenant and ambassador for Darlington Building Society.

The project was set up with the help of a grant of nearly £1,000 from Darlington Borough Council and is run by organisers Pat Lloyd and Vicky Vickers.

Pat said: “The village has launched a history trail so we wanted to do something which tied in with that. It’s been a great success and the children really enjoy coming. Everyone in the village is taking a great interest in how the garden is developing.”

The community garden includes a wildlife haven, a bug hotel, a hedgehog house and a wildflower area. Next year, a polytunnel will be erected with seeds planted from the crops that have been grown this year.