It’s payback time

ALL white now . . . Delighted at the community work carried out by offenders at Mossley Football Club are (from the left) offender John Delaney, Mossley chairman Steve Astley, supervisor Richard Walters, Mossley secretary Les Fitton and offender Dean Ashcroft

Offenders clock up 1,162 hours to refurbish club

OFFENDERS carrying out community service have helped Mossley Football Club transform its facilities into a ground fit for champions.

It took the seven-strong team 27 days — and a combined total of 1,162 hours work — to refurbish the club’s changing rooms and social club.

The project kicked off when the Lilywhites contacted the Tameside Community Payback team to see if it could carry out the work at Seel Park, which included painting and decorating.

The social club is also a community facility that hosts an organisation that helps people with learning difficulties and a society for the blind.

The football club has been a victim of vandalism attacks itself, including arson last month that caused considerable damage to the boardroom suite.

Only the actions of pub landlord Mike Stringer, from the near-by Highland Laddie, and two customers in tackling the blaze prevented the boardroom from being gutted.

Les Fitton, Mossley’s vice-chairman, said: “The standard of work the offenders have completed is tremendous. We couldn’t have afforded it ourselves. The social club is a community facility, so it’s not just us that benefit from this, and the job the Community Payback team has done is a real credit to them.

“The changing rooms had really deteriorated, so the work that’s been done has been a huge help.”

The team was led by Community Payback supervisor Richard Walters, who said: “It’s been a great project to work on. When the offenders learned that the social club is used by disability groups they were especially proud to be doing something for those less fortunate than themselves.

“One of the women working on the project told me she always felt daunted about her ability to do decorating, but that her confidence was given a real boost because she could see how well she had done. It was a great team building exercise and helped give them skills.”

John Delaney, who worked for three weeks on the project to complete his community service, said: “I benefited from being on it and as I’d done decorating before I took a lot out of it.”