Corley Cricket Club in Warwickshire benefited from the England and Wales Cricket Board’s partnership with the NatWest Cricket Force Initiative, through a refurbishment of its club ground on 4 April. Ex England cricketer, Paul Nixon also showed up on the day to lend a hand.

The partnership allows cricket clubs to improve facilities and the quality of the playing and practising pitches in a cost effective way, which is supported by businesses in their local communities.

When a club put £50 into the scheme, builders’ merchant Jewson put in an extra £350 as part of its commitment to supporting local communities.

Corley Cricket Club benefited from the initiative when a team of volunteers and Jewson employees local to the area offered to help out. The club was in need of a deep spring clean, and Jewson stepped in to support by donating paintbrushes, rollers, wood paint and white paint.

The sun shone throughout the day so the majority of work was done outside -benches and sightscreens were given a fresh lick of paint and the garden was freed of weeds.

Chimene Codner, a graduate trainee at Jewson’s head office in Coventry was one of the volunteers on the day. She said: “I was happy to help out. This was my first time doing volunteer work with Jewson and it was a valuable and enjoyable experience. The cricket club really appreciated the work we did and I can see how worthwhile our time and materials were to them.”

Stephen Leeson, marketing manager at Jewson, also volunteered on the day. He said: “It’s always great to get involved with donations, and I love to get my hands dirty and really get stuck in. The scheme is a brilliant idea as cricket clubs across the country benefit from the help. Corley Cricket Club looked fresh and clean once we had finished on the day!”