Recycled plastic benches: Life’s a picnic at Darton

This is a feature about recycled plastic benches, volunteer time and a community supporting a cricket club.

In this content collaboration with British Recycled Plastic, we’ll explore why Darton Cricket Club replaced their wooden seating, the thinking behind choosing recycled plastic and how they approached funding their benches.

My interview is with Darton’s Chair, Joe Wilkinson, where the drive to improve facilities included replacing the outdoor furniture:

“We were looking at modernising the club this year. Part of that was the benches that we had originally for 10+ years and needed constant refurbishment whether that was sanding down or repainting every year.”

Darton heard about British Recycled Plastic through the Cricket Yorkshire website and liked the idea of a solution that offered many benefits:

• Zero maintenance – Quick to clean, dry or disinfect
• Weather & UV resistant – No rotting, splitting or peeling
• Vandal resistant – Very difficult to damage
• 25-year guarantee
• Keeps plastic out of landfill
• Made in the UK

There’s also free mainland UK delivery and a multi-buy discount on offer too.

Beyond the practical, time-saving and environmental advantages, Darton Cricket Club sourced sponsors for the grey and black Denholme picnic tables they purchased.

Spinks Plumbing & Heating, the Butterfield family in memory of former Darton player Frank, Morley Glass & Glazing and Barnsley Samaritans all helped to fund the outdoor seating at the village cricket club.

One of the six is known as the ‘talking bench’ at Darton to encourage conversations, with information available about the Barnsley Samaritans branch on Pitt Street West in the town.

Funding benches and picnic tables

I’ve interviewed a few clubs who’ve sourced memorial benches from British Recycled Plastic, such as York and Settle. As Joe said, sponsoring a bench or a table has impact and value:

“It’s a lasting sponsorship rather than a match ball on a weekly basis. Your name’s on that bench for as long as that bench exists.”

I think it’s a touching tribute to have for members or friends of a club. Something tangible that gets plenty of use. Unsurprisingly, plaques on benches are common at cricket grounds across Yorkshire.

Of course, the important income-generation side to club cricket doesn’t happen by magic. Joe said: “I can’t thank all of our volunteers enough and without them the club would not be in the position they are today both on and off the field.”

Costs: Thinking longer-term

There is a cost implication to choosing recycled plastic rather than wood or other materials. Clubs can find cheaper, less sustainable alternatives that won’t last as long. Ultimately, there’s a choice to be made.

As Joe at Darton CC put it aptly when we were talking about the pre-season Get Set Weekend, what you can’t put a price on is volunteer time. If benches need hours to bring back to life, that takes focus away from other jobs on a long list to crack through.

Avoiding the vandals

Darton’s cricket ground is tucked out of the way, despite being near a railway station and next to the M1. It’s not a place that people stumble upon. That means there’s an inherent risk with out-of-season vandalism to consider:

Joe told me: “We’re on the end of a track at the end of a road that no-one goes down! In previous years, we’ve had to hire a farmer to come down with a trailer and pay him to store them (benches) over winter.”

Darton thriving

Ground upgrades aside, Darton Cricket Club are thriving. They have senior teams in the Pontefract & District Cricket League with their firsts leading the Championship (tier two).

The Sunday XI is in the Barnsley & District Cricket League, along with a suite of junior sides all named after the deer (roes, bucks, sikas) that’s enshrined in the club emblem.

At U11s, they have a number of players involved in representative cricket who began their journey with All Stars and are progressing through the age groups.

For Joe, who’s played of all his cricket down at Darton, the transformation from uncertain pre-Covid days to today is definitely reason for cheer:

“It’s fantastic to go down on a Saturday, Sunday or midweek and see how many people are watching. It’s humbling to see the position the club’s in now compared to what it was.”

Want to find out more?

Since 2008, British Recycled Plastic has been helping organisations make smart and practical use of UK waste.

You can explore their website – https://britishrecycledplastic.co.uk, contact them online or call on 01422 419 555 with any questions.

Just a recap, they do a huge range of products from decking to litter bins and fencing to planters. Suitable for clubs, businesses or at home.

British Recycled Plastic are also British Recycled Plastic on Facebook or you can check them out on Instagram.

✍️ This is Partner Content for British Recycled Plastic – if the mood takes you, click to read Cricket Yorkshire’s policy on Partner Content.