A volunteer has been nominated for the Merton Civic Award’s community award for her work turning Wimbledon’s unused fruit into charitable donations.

Joyce Pountain, 55, of Lancaster Gardens, Wimbledon, and others, set up Abundance Wimbledon in 2011, with the aim of using fruit from gardens and public areas that would otherwise go to waste.

This year the team of determined pickers collected more than a tonne of fruit, including apples, plums and berries, which was then shared among garden owners, fruit pickers, and people who might struggle to buy fresh fruit.

More than 300kg was given to groups including the Wimbledon Guild, the YMCA and Faith in Action.

Joyce was inspired to start up the non-profit community initiative after visiting an Abundance group in Chiswick.

She said: “I think Abundance shows that when people work together, we can achieve a great deal and get a lot of pleasure from it.

“Merton is famous for its varieties of fruit, like the Merton Beauty apple and the Merton Gem plum.

But often people can’t use all the fruit and don’t know what to do with it.”

The eco-conscious nominee also led an Abundance Fruit Day at St Mark’s Church in September, which saw fruit collected around Wimbledon sold and used to make jams, chutney, cakes and pies.

Ms Pountain said: “It’s an opportunity for people to show how, with a bit of knowledge and time, you can turn excess fruit into all sorts of lovely things.

“People enjoy sharing their ideas and finding out how to save money too.”

A friend who nominated her for the prize said: “I thought she was paid, because it’s such an impressive job, but no, it is all done out of the goodness of her heart.”