A landscaper who owns a gardening equipment rental business has mowed lawns in his neighbourhood for free during the Covid-19 pandemic.McCal Roberts used equipment from his Mac10Rentals firm to cut grass across Somerset with the help of a team of volunteers.He said: “I realised during the pandemic that nobody was working and the community was shut down, so I said ‘this grass is getting out of hand, let me lend a hand’.”The volunteer work started in March as a favour to Michael Corday, the chairman of selectors at Somerset Cricket Club, who helped him with getting equipment on hire to customers across the island.He said that he offered to cut the grounds at Somerset CC as a thank-you gesture, which sparked a flood of inquiries.Mr Roberts added: “People would see me cutting grass and ask me to cut their grass.“I’d drive along the West End to Somerset Cricket Club and from there people would say, ‘Can you cut my grass’?“They asked me how much I charged, but I’d just say, ‘You know what, I’ll do it for free’.”Mr Corday said that Mr Roberts was a hard worker and that he appreciated his reliability and self-motivation.He said: “Mr Roberts has been volunteering his landscaping services and equipment at the Somerset Cricket Club for some time now and always provides immaculate service.“He is a valuable member of our youth and community service team, and provides a valuable contribution towards maintaining our playing fields and facilities.”Mr Corday added: “I have only known him for the last few months, but he’s very work-conscious and he has a lot of initiative.“It is refreshing to find someone who takes pride in his work and finds the initiative to carry out tasks to the best of his ability.”Mr Roberts and the volunteers have tidied up about 60 acres, which includes the grounds of West End Primary School and neighbours in Somerset.He highlighted that the service was an important contribution to public health because it helped to limit the number of rats in the area.Mr Roberts explained: “Rodents love to live in a world where no one can see them and what happens is that, when the grass grows to a certain height, the rats can manoeuvre underneath this grass, even if the grass looks low.“It’s a bit of a public health hazard because they can carry bacteria and spread diseases, so I also thought it was important to get rid of them.”Mr Roberts has received a lot of support and some grateful recipients wrote letters of recommendation for his work. Some people have given him more equipment, such as a weed trimmer and a leaf blower, to help him in his charitable work.Mr Roberts said: “It’ll just help me make the properties a little bit neater, so I’m very grateful for them.”He plans to continue to offer the free service until the Government introduces the fourth and final phase of a staged return to normal life.