Cricket club is bowled over by students

Students design benches for Norden Cricket Club

A group of 30 carpentry and joinery students  have created bespoke wooden benches for Norden Cricket Club.

The club needed benches for around the edge of the pitch but, in order to fit between the trees, they had to be specially designed (hence their unusual shape).

Apprentice joiner Adrian Brindle, 28, from Rochdale,  came up with the final design and the students worked on the project for a month to complete the 11 benches, which each took around five hours to produce.

George Woodall, program manager for Carpentry, said: “We were thrilled when the Club approached us with the work experience as it gave the students a great opportunity to work to a real live brief. This is the first of many projects to support local community activities while developing learners skills.”

The students designed several prototype benches and made them up as miniature wooden models so that the Club could choose the design they felt best answered the brief. Once the design was picked the materials were delivered to the College and the students got to work straight away.

Norden Cricket Club is delighted with the results. Greg Tattersall from Norden Cricket Club said: “Their level of professionalism was a real credit to the College. The quality of the benches produced was outstanding - when we tell people they were made by students they are amazed. Throughout the whole process the pupils and tutors have been superb, always happy to help, and with a smile on their faces. We look forward to future partnerships with the College.”