The garden in the community centre has drastically changed, helping those using the facility to benefit from an excellent outdoor area.

Additions to the green space include raised beds and three planters made from railway sleepers, and there is future work planned to upgrade the paved area.

Staff from the Family Project, who use the facility for their pre-school scheme, and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) helped to organise the transformation.

Close by, another project has started, with the Friends of Parnwell beginning work on a triangular shrub bed close to Saltersgate, with Bardon contractors volunteering their time and machinery to clear the area.

BTCV Parnwell Pride project officer Joanna Stradling said: "The day went very well. all the volunteers worked extremely hard on the project.

"Plans changed shortly before, so it meant we had a few more things to do. We managed to get most of it completed, but just need to source some bark chippings for the area, and the city council is to improve a paved section.

"We couldn't do this without the help of the volunteers. they did a magnificent job.

"One gentleman helping has eight children, six of whom have attended the pre-school scheme, so he had a real vested interest in the project.

"After the summer holidays, the children will decide what they want to go into the planters, and we will have a grand opening.

"The shrub bed has been neglected for years and is one of the first things you see when entering Parnwell, so it is a very visible and important part of the estate.

"It is the first project that the Friends of Parnwell have set up by themselves, and they have worked very hard redesigning the area and generating support.

"I'm extremely happy with how the project is going.

"The whole point is to get people out of their homes and taking practical action to improve the area where they live.

"Quite often, we find older people are more keen to join in, but we have had some great support from younger people, which is essential because the landscaping work is obviously quite physically demanding.

"We want to improve the look of the area, making people proud to live in Parnwell and take ownership of it."