A CHARITY celebrating more than two decades of success has diversified its operations to ensure it remains fit for the future.

Chopsticks in Northallerton celebrates its 21st anniversary this week and held a special open day to mark the occasion.

The charity boasts 20 members with a range of learning difficulties who gain practical work experience through a range of hands-on operations.

From its origins at Mencap in 1996, through to Archer’s Yard and Springwell Lane premises, the charity has been based at Endeavour House on Thurston Road for the last 11-years.

In that time it has grown from its primary enterprise of producing quality kindling to add new schemes including ChopArts and Garden in the Yard.

Management committee member Liam Spencer is the owner of Northallerton Glass which is one of the many local businesses that works with Chopsticks.

Mr Spencer’s work produces excess glass panels that would go to waste but now they are being repurposed by Chopsticks members into pieces of art as part of the new ChopArts scheme.

Mr Spencer said: “We are still unveiling it but I think we are now at the stage where it is ready to launch.

“They (Chopsticks) didn’t have a budget for such crafts so I thought that donating retail quality glass was a good thing and members great a great sense of satisfaction from what they produce.”

Garden in the Yard is another new arm for Chopsticks which sees its members transform the yards of businesses and community groups into attractive spaces with planters, paving stones and flowers.

Charity manager Phil Bramhall said that the sense of achievement of members after they have worked hard to transform a space was "priceless."

However, the scheme needed further support and investment if it was to flourish.

Mr Bramhall said: “We always ask, how can we create more choice and what opportunities do we have for our members to be engaged in more fulfilling work, because there are so few places that are prepared to take on or employ someone with learning difficulties.

“There are so few places prepared to recognise the skills these people have.”

Garden in the Yard is now at the stage where it would benefit from more machinery and more staff to take on bigger jobs.

To help raise funds for Chopsticks, and for the Northdale and Yorkshire Air Ambulance charities, a motorbike ride has been organised for September 10, leaving from Northdale on Romanby Road at 10.45am.

All bikers are welcome and entry is £5.