Community groups across Wychavon have been gifted free fruit trees originally thought to be extinct.

The trees, which include apple, pear, plum, damson, and cherry varieties, were provided through the Trees Call to Action Project (TCAP), with the aim of increasing tree coverage throughout the district.

The initiative is funded through Wychavon's share from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a component of the levelling up agenda.

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An extinct variety of dessert apple, 'Martin nonpareil', was among the distributed trees.

Discovered in a cottage garden in 2012, it has since been saved and cultivated by Walcot Organic Nurseries.

Cllr Beverley Hardman, executive board member for Boosting Natural Capital, said: "Trees have an important role to play in keeping our air clean, preventing flooding and providing valuable habitats for local wildlife and by supporting the TCAP, we are responding to the significant climate and biodiversity crises we face."

Plums and damson samplings grown in the area, which were roughly six to eight feet tall, were provided to various groups in the community.

The TCAP project responded to growing concerns over climate change and biodiversity, providing a proactive method of combating these global issues on a smaller scale.