A DEDICATED squad of volunteers who put on a calendar of lively social events for a village community staged an old time fete after receiving a £500 cash boost.

Bygone Billingers won the grant from The Co-operative’s Community Fund. The cash enabled the group to book a brass band, a Punch and Judy show and morris dancers for an old-fashioned village fete recently.

The Community Fund is created by members of The Co-operative Group who elect to donate all, or part of their twice-yearly dividend payments directly to the scheme.

The funds are then shared with local community projects and groups, such as the Bygone Billingers, across the country.

Patricia Darbyshire from the Bygone Billingers said: “Thanks to this generous grant from The Co-operative we were able to secure some fantastic entertainment for our fete which really captured the growing sense of community spirit here in Billinge.”

Lynne Morton of the Co-op said: “There is around £200,000 available in this region, each year, from the Community Fund, and we welcome applications from local groups”

Community Fund application forms are available online at www.co-operative.coop/communityfund or by phoning 0161 827 5879. Awards are allocated by local Co-operative members’ committees, based on a set of values such as social responsibility.