Volunteers are needed to support a new gardening project for youths with learning disabilities at Osterley Park.

Young participants aged 16-25 will get the chance to work in the Tudor kitchen garden of the National Trust property in Jersey Road, Isleworth, every Friday from March 6, between 10am and 3pm.

The scheme is run by Our Barn, which was set up by parents to help bridge the gap for young people with learning difficulties and other disabilities between full-time education and adult life.

The project will run for 12 weeks initially and the aim is to create a social enterprise through which participants can use their new skills to tend the gardens of older people in the area.

Half of the 10 places on the course are still available and project manager Karen Adams said she was particularly keen to hear from adult volunteers, especially those with gardening know-how, though this is not essential.

Our Barn, which aims to equip young people with both life skills and the tools to gain employment, already runs a youth club at Redlees Play Centre, in Worton Road, Isleworth, every Sunday, from 3pm-6pm.

It is also looking to set up a number of other initiatives, including a football team, a drama club and a craft and card-making enterprise.

For more about Our Barn and the new scheme at Osterley Park, visit www.ourbarn.org.uk or email community@ourbarn.org.uk.