A GARDEN inspired by the village of Arncliffe and crafted by local landscapers has struck gold at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Roger Gibson, his son Michael and Roger Cowan, of Litton, together with Mike McKenzie, of Arncliffe, spent more than a week at the showground creating Yorkshire Forward's exhibit, "Yorkshire Alive with Opportunity".

Designer Julian Dowle gathered inspiration from Arncliffe to turn a 12 metre by 15 metre space into a piece of Dales landscape complete with a cottage, packhorse bridge, beck, waterfall and dry stone walls.

Five lorry loads of Dales stone and roofing tiles were transported to the site for an authentic effect.

"The whole project was started in September and although we were only building it in the last week before the show, there has been a tremendous amount of preparation work to do beforehand," said Mr Gibson.

He and his colleagues said they weren't daunted by the task, however. "We knew we would be working in front of a lot of people, but to us it was just doing the job we already do."

Yorkshire Forward spent an estimated £100,000 to achieve the gold standard and the success has formed a key part of the development agency's tourism initiative to promote the region as Britain's best short break destination.

For Mr Dowle, now a 10-times gold winner, it was a challenge, as he admitted he had never set foot in the Yorkshire Dales before.

"When I first went there I was flabbergasted by the grandeur. Everywhere you looked there was stone. My task was to retain the personality of the area by recreating a slice of the Yorkshire Dales," he told Ilkley-born show presenter Alan Titchmarsh.

In return Mr Titchmarsh confessed he too was familiar with the area and had used "Richard Arncliffe" as a pseudonym when writing for a gardening magazine.

The design for the cottage was taken from the old post office in Arncliffe, now home to 91-year-old former postmistress Alice Gill, while Sheila Robinson's open landscaped garden provided much of the planting inspiration.