Work parties make a return to the Park
The weekend of July 1 and 2, saw a band of enthusiastic and resourceful volunteers arrive at St James Park to help prepare and spruce up areas of the stadium that needed some TLC before the 2017/18 season.
From 10am until 4pm on both days, all who attended carried out tasks which included; sanding down metalwork, cleaning surfaces for painting, de-weeding the pitch perimeter, painting the players’ entrance corridor, painting barriers and poles and power washing the many aisles and walkways.
St James Park was blessed with glorious weather on both days, with all volunteers treated to a special Grecian lunch of a pasty and doughnut in the Boardroom.
The club thanks Clive Harrison and Scott Walker for helping support the event. Special thanks goes out to the amazing volunteers for giving up their time, for their patience and expert workmanship.
Those volunteers are: Phil Wright, Andy Holloway, Nick and Harry Weight, Steve Horrell, Steve Welsh and Eleanor, Harrison and Oliver, Charlie Seaton-Burn, Jon and Gabriel Bint, Bernadette Coates, Martin Lawrence, Kate Searle, Dawn Offer-Hoar, Pete Cousins, Lisa, Maisie and Harry Court, Emma Tanner, Mike Roach, Paul Rowbotham, Eloise Hutchings and her dad, and Elaine Davis, Trust director.
Stadium Manager, Mark Latham said: “I am always amazed by how much the supporters of our club give to help improve the Stadium and other areas of the estate.
“Since I have started working here, a continuous flow of people arrive at the ground to offer their time and skills and always do so with a smile on their faces.
“This past weekend continued that committed approach and it was a pleasure to share the occasion with such caring and thoughtful people.”
During the same weekend, fans who had expressed an interest in purchasing seats from the soon to be demolished Stagecoach Stand, came with an array of tools and dismantled their rows of seats.
Some could carry their smaller rows in one go, whilst others had to make multiple journeys to vans and cars, having split long rows into smaller, more manageable sizes; one pair of ladies expertly fitted two rows of six seats into a VW Polo!
