Members of one of the borough’s amateur rugby teams, Merton RFC, spent last Sunday morning at Morden Hall Park cleaning up the area.

The club is based at Morden Recreation Ground on Central Road/Middleton Road running two squads catering for players of all abilities.

Members from all squads joined park ranger, Richard Newman, to clear unwanted brambles, foliage and assorted debris to create space for a new glade of ornamental trees in the near future.

Club chairman, Jack Canniff, said: “Merton is a social, community rugby club, and we wanted to give something back.

"Morden Hall Park is a very popular local amenity and close to members’ hearts, so we thought that we would give landscaping a try.”

The work is the first phase of the club’s Merton in the Community project, which will see members out and about, getting involved in local causes.

The club is looking to rebuild following a tough three years that has seen them lose the use of their clubhouse, resulting in difficulties with recruitment and retention of players. Despite this, the club have managed to remain competitive and in the hunt for silverware, with the first team featuring in the last two finals of the Surrey Bowl, whilst the second string won the Surrey Chairman’s Cup in 2017 and were beaten finalists last season.