THE garden of a Basingstoke hall has been given a new lease of life by young people on a charity programme that aims to give them a better chance of landing a job.

A team of 15 young people, aged between 16 and 25, from the Basingstoke area, spent just over a week planting assorted shrubs in the garden of Oakridge Hall For All on Oakridge Road.

The team are on a 12-week programme being run by the Prince's Trust for unemployed young people.

The aim is to challenge them and build their confidence and skills to make them more employable.

Prince's Trust projects in the county are run by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and firefighters are seconded to lead them.

Trevor Williams, the firefighter leading the 15-strong team, said: "The team have turned a bland and overgrown area into a peaceful and flowering garden for use by all of the community, both young and old.

"They worked exceptionally hard to achieve this, raising more than £500 to be able to fund the project. Not only has this helped the Hall for All and the local community, it has also been an important part of the team's development."

Brian Bartlett, manager at Oakridge Hall for All, said: "We are delighted with the outcome.

"It looks really attractive. The team did a great job and hopefully it will help them to get jobs."

If you are unemployed, aged between 16 and 25 and would like to be a member of the next Prince's

Trust team, from February until April, contact Mr Williams on 07766 550635 or his colleague Charlotte Jess on 07766 696632.

First published: Thursday, November 3, 2005