GREEN fingered pupils got their hands dirty to help create flower beds in a Shildon park.

Youngsters from Sunnydale Community College, on Middridge Lane, in Shildon created two rockery areas in the town’s Timothy Hackworth Park.

The 14-year-olds were taking part in Shildon Alive’s Guerrilla Project which aims to help improve the town.

Teacher Yvonne Scott said: “Ten members of the school’s gardening club were picked to go along to help with the work.

“The pupils are already gardeners as they grow healthy food at the college already.

“The Shildon Alive scheme is a really good community project and the pupils loved taking part.”

St John’s Church, in Shildon, is behind the Shildon Alive scheme and it aims to help the town. It runs a food bank and recently funded a sensory garden at the college.

Pupils from the town’s primary schools have also been allocated floral areas to work on in Shildon as part of the Guerrilla Project.

Reverend David Tomlinson, vicar at St John’s, said: “The church is about helping people flourish and we want to see Shildon flourish.

“We want people to have a sense of pride in their local community and this reflects on Shildon.”

More than 200 children will take part in the Guerrilla Project during which they have put in around 500 plants. It is hoped to run the scheme again next year.

Shildon Town Council has agreed to take over the maintenance of the floral areas once the children have completed their work.