THE New Shambles Food Court in York will receive a makeover tomorrow.

Local volunteers will install flowerbeds and planting herbs, trees and vegetables to brighten up the area, next to Shambles Market, as part of a partnership between Make It York and Edible York.

The charity also built the first community run ‘veg bed’ outside the Barbican in 2010, and will install cherry trees and a range of herbs and vegetables, including flat leaf parsley, Moroccan mint and Swiss chard. More plants will brighten up the specially-designed barrels in coming weeks.

Bill Eve from Edible York said: “This new project is a great demonstration of how even small and quite shady spaces can be made to look lovely and produce delicious food to eat.”

Gianna Lombardi-Roberts, who organised a group of volunteers to tend the garden, said: “This is a welcome challenge for Edible York volunteers.

Local residents and visitors are encouraged to enjoy tasting the herbs - in small doses - and offer a hand with looking after them.”

Tarik Abdeladim, who sells North African and Levantine street food at Los Moros in the Shambles Food Court, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing the new planters enhance the area, adding some more colour, and it’ll be great to have home-grown herbs available for every day cooking.”

Simon Long, from Shambles Kitchen, said: “We always use fresh herbs in our food, so to have these growing so locally in the Shambles Food Court will be perfect and really convenient.”

Members of the York community are encouraged to get involved and help care for the plants, and can contact info@edibleyork.org.uk for more information.