Willmott Dixon is helping to find cricket stars of the future by enabling children from Rotherham to enjoy a summer of free cricket with Whiston Parish Church Cricket Club.

The company funded a five day cricket camp that gave 24 local juniors the chance to develop their skills in bowling, batting and fielding. It is the third year the club has run a summer camp but the first year it has been able to offer it to children for free, thanks to the support of Willmott Dixon.

Willmott Dixon has a long-term presence in Rotherham through its work with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to deliver a repairs service to 12,000 council-owned properties in the areas of Wentworth South, Wentworth Valley, Rother Valley West and Rother Valley South. The cricket camp is the latest way the company is able to make an active contribution to the local community.

Summer Camp co-ordinator at Whiston Parish Church Cricket Club, Anthony Lancashire, said: “The summer camp has been such a success and all of the children have enjoyed learning how to play the fantastic sport of cricket. During the week children have been able to make new friends and socialise whilst getting some fresh air and exercise. Although the summer camps have never been expensive, we were aware that the cost was a barrier to some children taking part, but thanks to the emphatic support of Willmott Dixon, all children have been able to play for free.”

The support for the summer camps comes after the community actions of Willmott Dixon staff received a Royal seal of approval, with the company achieving a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. One of the areas highlighted by judges in making the award was the £1 million worth of community investment made by the company and staff each year to local good causes. The company has also received recognition after scooping gold in the ‘Excellence in Social Responsibility’ category of the prestigious Investors in People awards.

Mick Williamson, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Partnerships said; “This is very much part of our Transforming Communities ethos , which is about making a real and positive difference to the lives of people living locally. We want to play an active part in delivering initiatives that leave a real legacy and we recently wrote an article, called Transforming Communities, to share ideas and help organisations deliver sustainable growth to help communities through these current austere times.”