THIS Sunday will see a community in a York suburb come together to hold a fundraising party to help kick-start a community garden project.

The Lanes garden party and sports day starts at 2pm on Sunday (July 7) at the top of Pembroke Street in Clifton and organisers are hoping residents from the surrounding streets will turn out to support their efforts.

As previously reported by The Press, The Lanes Community Garden is a bid by a group in Clifton to transform a triangle of derelict land at the end of Pembroke Street in to a green oasis for people who live in the surrounding terraced streets, where outside space is at a premium.

A committee of seven people, including ward councillor Danny Myers, and headed by local artist Hatti McKenzie, have joined forces to help fundraise and make their idea become a reality.

Hatti said: “TalkTalk have generously offered a face painter and obstacles for the day as well as funding our garden to the tune of £5,000.

“They are also providing the leader board as we thought it would be fun to offer prizes for each event and an overall prize to the highest score winner of the day.

“Tell your neighbours and friends and lets make this a fabulous fun-packed afternoon.”

Organisers are hoping that events on the day will include an obstacle race, egg and spoon race, a cake stall, plant stall, skittles, quoits, and cream teas. There will be live music and an ice-cream van.

In April residents turned out at the site to share their views and see plans drawn up by Hatti showing what the garden could look like once work has been done to transform it.

The land is council owned and the group want to build raised beds and planters to be filled with dwarf fruit trees and other plants.