A group of Silsden gardeners has taken over the running of one of the town’s allotment sites.

Silsden Town Council formally agreed to hand over the management to Woodside Road Allotments Assoc-iation.

The association has appointed a management committee to run the allotments, set rents and oversee the waiting list.

Town councillor Adrian Naylor said: “This is something that the town council and the association have been working towards for a number of years.

“It is great to see the improvements the association have already made to the allotments.

“I attended a recent meeting and I was pleased to see the level of enthusiasm and support the management committee has. There was great support for projects the committee outlined for this year.”

Association member John Whitlock said the group had been working hard to get to this point, and could now start to improve the site.

He said: “Next year we are hoping to improve the paths and install an all-weather turning circle so that all plots can be reached by vehicles if necessary.”

Another member, Graham Reay, said the association was seeking funding for various projects.

He added: “We have already seen some major improvements including the draining of a large area which for several years was badly waterlogged.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm among our members and we are seeing a renewed pride in the look and appearance of our plots.”