Birstall besieged by offers

When Andy Corbett has an idea, the local community in Leicestershire dives for cover because the Birstall cricket club coach and junior co-ordinator is like a twister with a thunderbolt in its wake.

Last year, frustrated by the repeated acts of vandalism on the club's pavilion, Corbett had the bright idea of getting a local graffiti artist to cover the exterior walls with giant murals of cricketers from Paul Nixon to WG Grace.

It was a major project but nine months later, the pavilion remains untouched by vandals and Corbett won a NatWest OSCA (Outstanding Services to Cricket Award). He even received a letter from the PM Gordon Brown congratulating him on his achievements while the club earned the Wisden Cricketer club of the year award.

Recently, Corbett decided the interior walls of the clubhouse in School Lane were a mess and needed replastering. But with the club short of funds due to the weather-induced loss of cricket in 2007, there was precious little cash in the pot for decorations.

Birstall CC Clubhouse

So, in desperation, he made contact with local paper 'The Leicester Mercury' and made a heartfelt appeal for help as part of the NatWest CricketForce programme.

"We have been struggling with money and I wanted to open up the Clubhouse into a type of community room on the park," explained Corbett.

"I appealed in The Leicester Mercury for plasterers to come and plaster the walls and the response was fantastic. Ten plasterers have come forward and a carpet fitter is also looking at replacing our old carpet."

He told The Leicester Mercury: "I was only just reading the story myself - I hadn't even got to the end of it - when the phone first rang. Then it just didn't stop ringing. People have just called me saying they read the story and they wanted to help out.

"It's just fantastic, especially at the moment with the start of the season coming up, when we have to pay for equipment and to register the team - we need about £2,000."

Materials and time have all been donated, a gesture that the 44-year-old describes as 'overwhelming kindness' and the newly revamped pavilion will be opened by the chairman of the parish council, Stuart Jones, in time for the 2008 season when the club is expecting more than 150 juniors to participate in their cricket programme.