An award-winning volunteer at Malvern Town has been praised for his work by a former England manager and captain.

Josh Moorhouse, 23, was recently honoured as one of the three most influential Pitching In Volunteers of the Season.

His commitment to the Northern Premier League Premier Division club has not gone unnoticed.

Read more: Malvern Theatres plan to spend £20m Levelling Up cash

So much so that England legend Stuart Pearce paid a surprise visit to Malvern to congratulate Moorhouse.

Pearce, whose football journey started at non-league level with Wealdstone, said: "It's an absolute honour for me to be here, have a chat with Josh and congratulate him.

“I had five and half a years in the non-league set up before I got started, so I’m acutely aware of people of Josh’s ilk, who put in so much time and effort in and enable people like me to go on my football journey."

Pearce, who earned 78 England caps and helped England reach the semi-finals of the Italia 90 World Cup and Euro 96, added: "He's 23-years-old – it's nice to see someone as young as Josh lending his time and being part of the set-up here.

“They’re vitally important – he’s not just doing the stuff he’s really skilled at, he’s happy to do any time of job on matchday to help out."

Moorhouse, who began volunteering at the club after his graduation from the University of York, was surprised by the honour.

He said: "I didn't see the award coming and you never expect to win these kinds of awards – you come down, do what you do at these clubs up and down the country.

“There are so many people similar to me, and we do it because we love our football club."

Going beyond his initial aim of assisting financially, Moorhouse has donned various hats at the club, including filling in for the kitman, and promoting volunteering at grassroots clubs.

In recognition of his work, Moorhouse went on a trip to Dublin to watch the Europa League final, and got to train with legends Diego Forlan and Robert Pires, and play on the Aviva Stadium pitch after the final.

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports.

For more details see: https://www.entaingroup.com/sustainability-esg/entain-foundation/pitching-in/ and to find volunteering opportunities near you, see: pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk