A TEAM of volunteers from the Environment Agency have been helping to deck out a new Ryedale park with 300 yards of woodland pathway.

Around a dozen officers from the flood management teams based at the Environment Agency's York office have been spending time working on the Castle Garden Project in Malton.

Their task is to create a pathway made up of wooden logs with bark chippings in the centre, which will stretch from one entrance to another.

The Environment Agency's operations delivery team, which carries out the organisation's work on the ground, has made the task easier though by preparing the area beforehand.

Five officers have already spent a day of voluntary work, clearing vegetation and levelling the ground to make way for the two-metre wide path.

Environment Agency flood officer Di Keal helped to set up the Castle Garden Project, and organised the ongoing event. She said: "This is a great opportunity to help improve the area for people in Malton.

"The Environment Agency encourages staff to carry out voluntary work which will benefit the environment.

"The Castle Garden Project fitted the bill, so the flood team decided to ditch their office work for a day and do something about it."

The path-laying is expected to take two days and the flood team plans to return to the site for another day of voluntary work to finish off the job.

The Castle Garden Project has been set up by the Derwent Riverside Project which aims to create a five-acre public park next to Orchard Fields in Malton - giving the town some much-needed green space.

The scheme also brings together the Market Towns Initiative, the Countryside Agency, Ryedale District Council, English Heritage and North Yorkshire County Council.

Volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers have also played a role in doing up the site.