Ref. 31029-35TOP brass at Nationwide got their hands dirty in aid of a good cause yesterday.

A party of 20 went to Abbeyfields sheltered housing in Bath Road, Old Town, to decorate a bedroom, a bathroom, and give the garden the once-over.

It was part of the Swindon building society's Longest Day project in which several groups went out around town to give a helping hand to charities and other organisations.

Team manager Daniel Noga helped organise the visit and said: "We painted all the doors, redecorated a bedroom and bathroom and painted fences outside.

"The senior managers got their hands dirty as well and we all got covered in paint and dirt.

"It was partly in work time and partly in our own time, and in total we gave up about 100 man hours."

Senior manager at Nationwide Direct Bryan Hutchinson, who is on Abbeyfields' committee, said: "It was good fun and made a real difference.

"It's amazing what a concerted effort can do in half an hour to the general appearance."

More than 300 Nationwide employees took part in the Longest Day project, which was named after the solstice on Monday.

Other groups were carrying out maintenance work in Drove Road School's garden, decorating rooms at the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton, and clearing vegetation from a cycle path.