A HUMBLE bench in the village of Urchfont, near Devizes, has helped raise hundreds of pounds for Julia's House children's hospice.

Lisa Kinnaird first thought of the idea for a "bench of veg" at the beginning of the pandemic, as a way to lift people's spirits.

"It was March or April time when the idea for a 'bench of veg' started," she explained.

"First, it was just seeds and the idea was that people could do a seed swap from the bench. And if you had the patience and the time, you could grow them into seedlings and then share the seeds.

"But once the seedlings grew, people started selling the vegetables which was lovely.

"Then it got even bigger because people started sharing plants, if they were dividing their plants or rearranging their garden, they'd put them right there on the bench."

During lockdown, people were encouraged to make the bench a stop on their daily exercise, due to its central location on the High Street near the village pond.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Someone from the village gardening club also suggested that Lisa use the bench as a way to make money for charity.

A flowerpot was then tied to the bench and the donations came flooding in for Julia's House - a charity that provides care and support across Wiltshire for children and their families.

The honesty bench helped raise £300 in 2020, with that figure likely to be repeated again this year.

Lisa added: "It is really nice to see the village come together to support the bench.

"We raised about £300 last year and I haven't added everything up yet for this year, but by now it is probably near £300.

"We really hadn't planned to have the bench up long-term, but people really liked the idea and asked if it would be back for this summer! It's been going really well and it's of course great to raise money for such an important local cause." If you would like to find out out more email Lisekinnaird@gmail.com