A fundraising appeal to plant a commemorative Heroes Orchard in Grantham has been given a major boost thanks to a pledge of £5,615 from South Kesteven District Council.

Walton Academy has also come on board with plans for a week of school assemblies and fundraising activities it hopes will contribute hundreds of pounds to the project.

The crowdfund appeal by Wyndham Park Forum has so far attracted promises of £9,150 - three-quarters of the way towards the target of £12,193 with an appeal deadline of 8 February. 

The SKDC pledge is part of the council's CrowdfundSK initiative designed to encourage communities to raise money for local projects by working with specialist crowdfunding platform Spacehive.

The Heroes Orchard appeal aims to create a living tribute to British forces and wartime allies from around the world and a new publicly accessible green space near Wyndham Park.

An SKDC panel of elected members and officers met just before Christmas to assess support for the project and how it would enhance the community and neighbourhood.

Projects must deliver as widely as possible on areas including culture, communities, environment, partnering and wellbeing, explained Cllr Robert Reid, Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing: "This is the first round in our new CrowdfundSK project and it's very rewarding to see such a great proposal come forward.

"I hope that businesses and the town get behind it to ensure it becomes a reality. 

"It's exciting to see how that this new publicly accessible orchard will not only honour our aviation heritage but also benefit the community and improve the environment. 

"It's a great example of local people working together to develop and deliver projects that make a real difference."

Wyndham Park Forum Chairman John Knowles said: "This was an amazing Christmas present for our project. 

"This will be the first new public greenspace in Grantham for many years and we now need a big fundraising push in January to get us over the line."

The orchard would cover 3.75 acres with 75 trees to mark the 75th anniversary of Grantham and the district's role in D-Day and Arnhem and this year's 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe.

Schools will be able to use the orchard for outdoor learning, with heritage tree providers the Apples and Orchards project supplying downloadable activities and resources for primary schools.

A drop-in information event for all backers and interested parties is being held on Monday, 13 January at the Wyndham Park Visitor Centre between 3pm and 7pm.