PAINTBRUSHES and spades were out in force across Newport during yesterday’s sunshine, as hundreds of volunteers pitched in to help good causes.

Give and Gain Day, run by Business in the Community, is the UK’s only national day of employee volunteering.

Now in its sixth year, 100,000 people have taken part in 35 countries.

In Newport, Pill Millennium Centre was given a lick of paint by volunteers from Newport-based DAC Beachcroft Claims Limited who worked on the sports hall and did basic maintenance work immediately outside the centre.

Over at the King’s Church on Lower Dock Street, a team from insurers Legal & General worked with the youth and children’s pastor Heath van Staden to renovate the children’s church.

Welsh Government workers helped in the Jesus Cares department, packing food hampers for families in need alongside coordinator Faye Edwards.

Meanwhile around 20 staff from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) went to Malpas Park Primary School to help improve their garden and patio.

Morris’s of Usk Ltd donated one tonne of bark, one tonne of soil and 50 metres of plant membrane, while Homebase provided grass seed and Hobbycraft gave spray paint.

MITIE, the on-site facilities managers, gave a few hours of the time of their handyman to help build a shed and fence.

Hundreds of primary school children from Ringland, Milton Juniors, Alway and Lliswerry took part in sports at Llanwern High School thanks to around 90 volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group in partnership with SportInspired.

Sports teams who use the facilities at Llanwern during the evenings and weekends also gave workshops.

At Langstone Primary School, MotoNovo Finance employees helped to renovate the school’s outdoor play area and nature classroom.

Across Wales 1,113 employees volunteered to work in their communities.