WHERE there’s muck there’s brass.

That’s the hope of Keighley Show organisers, who have reprised a project that sees rotted horse manure and mulch delivered to gardeners in return for a charitable donation.

After tons of the stuff were delivered in the spring, green-fingered residents have asked for a repeat performance this autumn – when gardeners traditionally feed their flowerbeds and borders and revitalise their vegetable plots.

Online orders are being taken until Saturday, October 24.

Proceeds from the venture will be split between Keighley Show and the Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice Manorlands, which have both been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among those involved in the project as a volunteer is Andrew Wood, who is community fundraising manager at Manorlands and was due to serve as president at this year’s show before its cancellation owing to the virus restrictions.

He praises the recycling element of the ‘muck and manure’ initiative as well as the fundraising side.

Mr Wood said: “Participants in the show’s equestrian section produce large amounts of manure and show stalwarts the Wallbank family – who run Keighley Tree Services – have stockpiles of mulch.

“Mulch and well-rotted horse manure are much coveted by local gardeners, many of whom will hopefully be back showing their vegetables and flowers at Keighley Show in 2021.

“It will be great to help meet that demand for charitable benefit and we thank our generous suppliers and volunteer deliverers without whom the project couldn’t happen.”

For an online donation, people can get manure and mulch in 84-litre barrow loads delivered to their gardens.

Orders should be placed at bit.ly/2GLXRqD and deliveries will take place over the following nine days when the order-line closes.

Keighley Show chairman, William Mitchell, says: “We hope that the saying ‘where there’s muck there’s brass’ holds true and that people will take this great opportunity to improve their gardens with a charity benefit.

“The icing on the cake would be if the manure and mulch helped people to produce something they can bring to exhibit at the show next September!”

Half the proceeds from the scheme will help cover the set-up costs for next year’s show and the remainder will be donated to Manorlands.

Further information can be found at Keighley Show’s facebook page, @keighleyanddistrictshow.

All Manorlands services are free to patients and their loved ones, but it costs £10,000 a day to keep the hospice doors open – or £3.6m a year. Most of the funds have to be raised through donations.