ALMOST 100 volunteers are working together today to make a difference to the city of York.

The people have all come together as part of a call-to-arms from local charity York Cares. The aim is to transform wildlife and community sites in a Ground Force-style operation at St Nicholas Fields, a 24-acre nature reserve in the Tang Hall area of York.

Volunteers from businesses, schools, colleges and the universities will now spend the next few days creating picnic areas, an orchard and wildlife habitats. They will build new paths that allow easy access through the site for all visitors, transform a play area to make it more appealing to local families, and create wildflower gardens.

The Community Challenge at St Nicholas Fields is the latest in a series of successful makeover projects facilitated by York Cares.

Other projects include the transformation of Heworth Lighthouse youth centre in 2008, and the makeover of Applefields Special School and Tang Hall Primary School in 2009. Over three days volunteers created new nature zones, vegetable patches and flower beds at Tang Hall Primary School. They also provided new chairs and carvings for the reading area, new murals and a bike path outside. At Applefields, they created new sensory decorations and equipment and new mosaics in the garden.

Employees from Aviva, the Environment Agency, FERA, Langley Solicitors, the Partners Group, the University of York, York Marriott Hotel and York St John University have all signed up as have students and volunteers from All Saints RC School, Bootham School, Fulford School, Huntington School, Millthorpe School, the Mount School, St Peter’s School, The University of York, York College and York CVS Involved Team.

John Lister, chairman of York Cares, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses and the enthusiasm of the young people from local schools and colleges.

“This is going to be a fantastic volunteering challenge and it will result in a wonderful new resource for the whole of York.”