AN ARMY of volunteers is needed to boost the ecology of a large area of land.

Rob and Elizabeth Wiggins, the owners of Hallington Mill holiday home, near Corbridge, are enlisting the help of the public to plant more than 8,500 trees, shrubs and hedgerow plants on their land.

The couple, who purchased the derelict mill in 2016, received funding from conservation charity the Woodland Trust to purchase most of the new greenery.

Due to the high volume of items to plant into the ground, Mr and Mrs Wiggins are hoping members of the public will join them, and friends and family, in a voluntary planting mission on Sunday.

The couple aim to make the day a family fun day by getting as many people involved as possible, with refreshments to be provided for volunteers.

Mrs Wiggins said: “My husband and I bought the site in March 2016 and it came with surrounding land which hadn’t been kept for a long while and it was derelict, so we turned the mill into a holiday home.

“We have 34 acres of land so we wanted to plant it up for wildlife and ecology reasons, and also to make the appearance of the site nicer.

“More than 8,500 is going to be too much for us to plant by ourselves, so we have asked our family and friends for help.

“A message went out on Facebook asking for the help of the public and we have already had lots of messages from people saying they’d help so hopefully it can be a fun day for the whole family to enjoy.”

Whatever doesn’t get planted on Sunday will get finished by another bunch of volunteers at the end of the month

The Fifth Fusiliers regiment, based in Newcastle, has arranged a session on Sunday, March 31.

The planting work is regarded as essential for future development at the mill.

Mrs Wiggins said: “We would like to create an ecology site and community facility that local schools could perhaps use. When we bought the site, we always wanted to share it.”

Those interested in helping out on Sunday are asked to inform Mrs Wiggins of their intentions by the end of Thursday. She can be contacted on (07342) 643605 or at elizabeth1.wiggins@gmail.com