YORK is to become more fruitful and productive after a project to make good use of fruit from trees in the city’s streets and open spaces received a financial boost.

Volunteers for the charity Edible York are celebrating reaching their target to gain almost £4,700 for their ‘Abundance’ project from a recent crowd-funding campaign.

Abundance volunteers go out to harvest fruit from trees in the streets and open spaces that would otherwise go to waste.

Then the fruit is given to community cafes, food banks, children’s centres, schools, taste and share stalls, or anyone who can put the fruit to good use.

Abundance was one of the first six projects at the launch of the new York Hive initiative, organised by Make It York, to support inspirational ideas across the city.

Bill Eve, an Edible York trustee, said: “We were not sure at the start how our bid would go, but it has been a very heart warming experience to receive so many pledges of money and encouraging comments from people in York and beyond.

“We are extremely grateful to trusts such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the York Rotary, Jewson, and Guildhall councillors who together gave us just over a third of the money.

“Then two thirds of the total was raised in small donations from members of the public who wanted to see this lovely project thrive and spread across the city.

“We are now making plans to purchase the new equipment and recruit more volunteers to help pick and distribute the delicious fresh fruit to those who can put it to good use.

“It is a very rewarding experience to join in with an evening picking team, meet new people, and collect delicious fruit from unexpected places.”

Edible York supports the people of York to become closer to the food they eat.

The charity will be advertising Abundance opportunities in the summer and autumn through its website www.edibleyork.org.uk, via social media and leafleting.