STAFF at Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) donned their overalls to help redecorate Caldicot RFC’s clubhouse last month.

MHA staff swapped their daily office routine for four days painting in December as part of the association’s volunteer scheme.

Caldicot RFC approached MHA for sponsorship to help renovate the clubhouse as the local hub badly needed repairs and re-decorating works. The clubhouse which is regularly used by MHA staff to meet up and support local tenants, was in need of a spruce up – which not only benefitted local MHA tenants, but also the club itself as a venue for functions.

Boasting a games room, function room and bars, the clubhouse can also fully cater for Sunday lunches and meals.

12 MHA staff members donated their time to paint with the help of three tradespeople from MHA’s trading subsidiary, Capsel. Using paint donated by C Richardson Contractors and Glanmor Developments the function room and entrance hallway were given an overhaul, while carpentry for a new hatch was also supplied by Glanmor Developments. The function room, lounge and bar were also re-fitted with new lighting donated by CW Electrics.

Keith Mellens, Club Secretary was delighted with the donation. He said: “The clubhouse at Caldicot RFC is currently being refurbished with a Facilities Grant from the WRU. We are very grateful to Monmouthshire Housing and with their help we hope to create a facility that will support the development of Rugby Union in Caldicot. We hope that when finished it will also be a venue which can be booked by other community groups for a variety of functions and events.”

Volunteer, Emily Townsend, Engagement Officer said: “Give and gain days are such a fantastic opportunity to give back to the community and it was really great to support a club who do so much to help us and our tenants. I’ve run projects from there before and it’s a real asset to the community. It was really exciting to try something different and to test my painting skills! I got to spend time with staff from other teams and got to really make a difference. The best part was seeing the change and how different it looked! It’s great knowing that the work will help the club continue to support our tenants and will have such an impact on them.”