A COMMUNITY grant has been awarded to a gardening group in Gosport.

Organisers of the Grove Community Garden project have spent several years turning a patch of unused ground into a lush oasis of colour.

The idea of converting the land was to stave off the threat of housing development on the site in Alverstoke.

Member of the group Len Carter said: "We wanted to use that land in a way that everyone would enjoy. That has certainly worked and we have people of all ages visiting the gardens and enjoying them."

The garden also boasts what is thought to the biggest brick maze in the country as one of the many features that attract hundreds of people every year.

The group has recently been given a boost after Hampshire County Council awarded them a grant of £500 to buy tools and a shed to store them in.

Mr Carter said: "It is a big bonus when we are successful with bids to keep the garden in good condition and well looked after."