Ownership of the gardens, located off Allhallowgate, has proved difficult to establish but as no-one was taking responsibility for the wall's repair, the club decided to take action.

'eyesore'

President Andrew Webster said: "It was an eyesore. It did look like nobody cared for the gardens, apart from the area where Ripon in Bloom had been gardening."

The construction of the wall had to be done in stages and 12 members of the Ripon Rowels spent eight Saturdays over two months clearing the site of two tonnes of rubbish, digging foundations and building the wall.

Mr Webster estimates to repair the four-metre section of wall commercially would have cost more than £2,000 but thanks to three businesses – HACS Construction, TreeWorld Ltd and Wolseley UK – which donated services, equipment and materials, the job was done free of charge.

plaque

A bronze plaque has been put in place to mark the rebuilding of the wall and Mr Webster is very pleased with the efforts of the Rowels and the businesses who helped make it possible.

"It is 100 per cent better. It's so much tidier and there is a bench nearby which people are now able to use to enjoy the area," he said.