Bank Staff Pitch In as Cricket Club Benefits From Sports Biggest Makeover

NatWest staff from Croydon swapped their uniforms for overalls at Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians Cricket Club on Friday to take part in NatWest CricketForce - the largest volunteer event in sport, aimed at rejuvenating local cricket clubs across the country.

The NatWest staff joined other volunteers to help with projects including building a fence around the parameter of the ground, building a new hut for additional seating as well as painting. The NatWest team made excellent progress on Friday putting the overall project ahead of target for completion over the weekend.

This award wining grassroots initiative, in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has snowballed in popularity since it began in 2002. The 2010 NatWest CricketForce promises to be the biggest in the project’s nine year history, with more than 1,500 clubs taking part and an estimated 85,000 volunteers – making it a bigger volunteering programme than the Olympics.

Dean Sykes, NatWest’s Managing Director for the South East Retail Division, who co-ordinated the involvement of the NatWest staff, said:  “We all worked really hard, but had a lot of fun too and it’s great to see what we have achieved for Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians Cricket Club in such a short space of time. NatWest is committed to being a key part of local communities and, together with the ECB, we recognise the huge contribution volunteers make to cricket. I’m therefore thrilled that my employers have been helping community cricket for the last thirty years and see developing grassroots cricket in this way as an important part of our well known involvement in the game - NatWest CricketForce has justifiably established itself in the cricket calendar.”

Chris Bullen, Surrey Cricket Development Manager at Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians Cricket Club, said: “NatWest CricketForce has given us a great opportunity to get some much needed work done to ensure our 2010 season gets off to the best possible start. We would like to thank everyone who gave up their time to come along and help. Events like this make a real difference to us and lead to increased participation and a great sense of community spirit.”