A NEW group formed to clean up and improve public land in Highfield has been lending a helping hand to a local rugby club.

Members of the Friends of Burgess' Field teamed up with Cowling Harlequins to paint and clean up the changing rooms as part of the Rugby Football League's Engage with your club day.

Highfield town councillor Amjid Ahmed, who set up the friends group, said: "We just spent a few hours working alongside the rugby club, helping them with some decorating and cleaning up.

"Our next step, once we're properly constituted, is to arrange a mass clean-up of the actual field. The more people we can get involved in this the better.

"We've had a word with the people who use the bowling green, and they support what we want to do."

The Friends group began meeting earlier this summer to try to address problems related to littering and a lack of play equipment and seating at Burgess Field.

Commenting on the club premises clean-up day, Cowling Harlequins player coach Darren Greenwood said: "It was really good. About 10 people came along and it made a big difference to the club."