THE pavilion at Thornbury Cricket Club is looking pristine after a group of volunteers from NatWest bank helped give it a coat of paint in time for the start of the new season.

Staff from the town's branch of the bank were joined by regional colleagues to spruce up the pavilion at the ground in Alveston.

They spent several hours with club members brushing on the white paint - and even donated £250 to the club when they had finished.

The help given was all part of the nationwide NatWest CricketForce programme, which encourages club members and their local community to get together ahead of the new season to get local cricket grounds ready for a summer of action.

James Rickard, the bank's branch manager in Thornbury and Dursley, was joined by six colleagues to carry out the work, including regional director Iain Glover and business development manager Neil Griffiths.

Also there were Kate Graham of the business team, Thornbury's deputy manager Sophie Grimes, account manager Tom Wintle and private banking manager Jim Hilton.

Club members also returned for a second day to continue the painting of the changing rooms and score box, get the nets in place, put rain covers on and paint some benches.

Masonry paint was supplied by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as part of the CricketForce scheme.

Former England captain Mike Gatting, the ECB’s managing director of cricket partnerships, said: “Thousands of cricket clubs up and down the country have seen their fortunes turned around because of the long term impact that the programme has had.

"Cricket clubs represent the lifeblood of the sport and it is hugely important that we all pull together and look after playing facilities.”