A TEAM of dedicated National Trust volunteers are on a mission to breathe new life back into the historic kitchen garden at Allan Bank in Grasmere.

Three years ago, when the National Trust opened Allan Bank for the first time, the kitchen garden was overgrown and unloved.

But now, thanks to lots of hard work by staff and volunteers, the overgrowth has been cleared, the paths re-instated and the soil prepared ready for planting.

This year, visitors are being invited to head to the garden shed to look at the jobs list then roll up their sleeves and dig in.

The man leading the project is Bernard McAloone, a volunteer from Barrow who has been steadily bringing colour and scent back to the Allan Bank grounds since it opened to the public in 2012.

Bernard said: “We want everyone to feel like this is their garden, we’re encouraging local schools and visitors to get stuck in and help out.”

Bernard, a retired postman, spends several days a week working in the grounds at Allan Bank.

So far, his work has focussed on re-planting the beds around the house with bee and butterfly friendly plants.

“Gardening is my passion, I love the closeness to nature that I get at Allan Bank, it de-stresses me and I’m sure it’s good for my health,” Bernard said.

The kitchen garden at Allan Bank was developed in the mid-19th century by Thomas Dawson and was used to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers for the house.

Restoring the garden to its former productivity will take time - the plan is to start with fruit and vegetables this year with aspirations to go on and add a mini wild-flower meadow and also to grow flowers to cut and use in the house.

David Almond, Allan Bank Manager, said: “If a visitor has a spare 10 minutes to do some watering in the sunshine then great, and we would also encourage them to help themselves to a lettuce or pick a few sun-ripened berries, if the birds have spared them any.”