Officials at Whitton United spoke of their gratitude last night after £30,000 worth of work to resurface and upgrade the club’s car park and driveway was completed.

The Spencer Group, the company which built the Ipswich Chord rail link, undertook the work free of charge as part of the firm’s desire to give back to communities. They decided to take on the work after being contacted by the club and seeing the need for the improvements.

The club, based at the King George V playing fields, has been trying to get the work done for more than 15 years and officials said they were delighted to see the new-look areas.

Facilities manager, Lucky Singh, said: “It looks really nice, what they have done is excellent.

“We are really pleased and we want to say a big thank you.

“We have been looking to try and get it done for the last 15-20 years. We have been filling potholes every time we get them. We have to beg and borrow materials.

“Now if you look at the drive it is all tarmac and opens the possibilities for a lot of things for the club.”

Club chairman Mark Richards added: “It looks fantastic. They have done a fantastic job, I can’t speak highly enough of what they have done.

“There is lots to be happy about and now we can look forward to the new season.”

The completion of the work at Whitton United has come just in time for the new season, in which the club will be playing in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division after promotion last year.

It has also come as renovation work is now taking place inside the club, which is largely thanks to councillors in the area.

Mr Singh added: “It has taken a long time to get here, but all the hard work has been worth it. There is still a long way,to go, but we are on the right track.”