A POCKET Park in Darlington has been honoured by The Royal Horticultural Society and Northumbria in Bloom.

Volunteers and members of the South Terrace residents group toiled for weeks to create The Gerald Lee Pocket Park on a small patch of land underneath a billboard on the town’s Victoria Road.

Their efforts earned them an Outstanding Award at the 2014 It's Your Neighbourhood Awards, which took place at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium this week.

Darlington Councillor, Paul Harman, who helped to create the park said he was delighted with the award.

He said: “I am so happy to receive this well-deserved award on behalf of the South Terrace residents group.

“We could not have done it without support from Friends of the Earth and many council officers who went out of their way to make sure the project was a success.

“I hope this kind of recognition will encourage many more groups of residents to adopt a scruffy patch of land and make it something to gladden the eye and the heart.”

Before the park was created, the land under a billboard at Feethams roundabout had been neglected for years but now it is a point of interest for hundreds of passers by every day.

Despite only measuring 25square metres, the park boasts eye-catching flowers, seating areas, a bird box, bee hotel and even a miniscule pond.

The park was named after Darlington's current Mayor, Gerald Lee, in recognition of his passion for the countryside and environmental issues.