Cambridgeshire countryside group adapts to ensure work continues to help local community

Earlier this year, Yaxley Countryside Volunteers were given £2,000 to help create a community orchard filled with fruit trees.

Although the coronavirus and lockdown have made that work difficult, the group has changed the way it operates to ensure its vital projects can continue to benefit people in the area.

Chairman Reg Bingham said: “We stopped meetings and our work parties in the first place, but have adapted to the circumstances because we needed to carry out essential work on the areas that we look after. In particular we have had to control weeds, mow grass, prune and water the trees that we bought with the community funds.

“As we have a lot of trees and no direct water supply we have had to cart water in wheel barrows over a distance. As the weather has been so hot and dry the trees have suffered badly and I’m sure without our watering efforts every week during the drought we would have lost some trees.”

He said: “We used the funds to buy trees and fencing for a community orchard. We are also trying to make a wildlife haven as well as a community orchard which benefits wildlife in the area as well. This involves creating a meadow between the trees in the orchard and requires specialist equipment to mow and make hay from the grass there. We are hoping to adapt a building in the vicinity to store machinery and eventually create a fruit store.“

Due to very low running costs the group has been surviving well despite the restrictions of lockdown affecting many charities. They have been helped by their parish council with the cost of insurance for their activities and provided with public liability as well.

Mr Bingham said: “We are raising funds through memberships and selling our homemade wildlife products such as bee hotels.

As we are basically a wildlife volunteer group we are mostly working outside supporting our local community as well as wildlife. This means we have been able to socially distance ourselves during work parties but have reduced the party size, nonetheless.”

He said they had found the circumstances had actually brought the team closer together despite the difficulties, but they will be glad to meet up socially again soon.

The retailer’s Community Dividend Fund recently shared out £50,000 between 29 good causes to ensure they can continue their vital community working during the coronavirus outbreak.

The money has been spent by charities and organisations to ensure that events, activities and support that otherwise might have been postponed or cancelled can still go ahead and provide a vital boost to the local community.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, said: “Now more than ever being a co-operative business that sits at the heart of our communities is so important.

“We are delighted that these great projects and good causes have been handed a grant that will allow them to continue their fantastic work in the community at this uncertain time.”

People can also keep up to date with what is happening in their local community in response to coronavirus by visiting a dedicated online hub at www.centralengland.coop/updates