A GROUP of young people have taken on the challenge of becoming the National Apprentice Team of the Year.

The team, who all attend Derwent Training Association in Malton, are hoping to win the Brathay Apprentice Challenge, by undertaking a series of interactive work-related challenges to develop new skills and engage with young people and businesses to promote the benefits of apprenticeships.

Challenges are designed to ensure the teams demonstrate their teambuilding, leadership, logistical and communications abilities.

One of the group's projects has been to create new benches for Castle Gardens, in Malton, which had been damaged by vandals.

The benches will be sustainable using the apprentices engineering skills, as well as being good for the wildlife in the garden.

Beth White, one of the apprentices who works at Bumby Design Company in West Heslerton, said: "The Brathay Challenge has been an excellent experience for the 10 of us who have taken part to learn new skills and help the local community.

"In March we were involved in helping the TCV York Group and Malton Castle Gardens Committee to build four new benches in the garden as the old benches had been vandalised in the previous year.

"It is hoped that this and other work within the gardens will encourage more young people to make use of the gardens within the local community. I have also volunteered to be the treasurer for the Malton Castle Gardens Committee and we discussed as part of the Brathay Challenge that I would contact local sixth forms to encourage young people who are perhaps are doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award to volunteer over the summer to help improve facilities further in the Castle Gardens.

"We have also all been involved in attending various open days to promote apprenticeships to young people."

Councillor Di Keal, a member of Ryedale District Council and founder member of the Castle Garden project, said:"We are delighted that the apprentices from Derwent Training Association chose the Castle Garden to work on their Brathay Challenge 2016 project and create some fantastic new seating in the garden.

"They have worked really hard to design and manufacture the new seats and, working with TCV and volunteers from the Castle Garden, install them on site, alongside a new living wall feature. We would also like to thank David Watts from Clifford Watts for supplying the stone to fill the gabion basket seats.

"We are really pleased with the finished seats and hope to continue working with DTA on other projects in the Garden. We also wish the Brathay Challenge 2016 team the best of luck in the national challenge - it would be great to see them succeed in the competition and showcase the great work of the talented apprentices that we have in Ryedale."