Sport England: Active Together has provided £10,000 of match funding
Bedford Borough Bowling Along !
Bedford, United Kingdom
Aim
To help this 110-year-old club survive the impacts of the pandemic and invest in essential maintenance and improvements to its facilities.
Our Club
Bedford Borough Bowling Club has over 300 members and is based in the centre of Bedford. The Club is open and bowling takes place 7 days a week from 10am to 7pm and Monday and Friday evenings until 9pm. Our members are from Bedford and the surrounding areas and are reflective of the diverse community of the area: young, older and old, retired and working, new bowlers and experienced, able-bodied, disabled and in between. All members are encouraged to play bowls for exercise and to meet socially for clubs, quizzes or just a cup of coffee and a friendly chat.
In the past we have had members winning both Indoor and Outdoor National Championships and currently we have 2 lady members competing in the Senior Pairs National Finals at Nottingham.
The onsite facilities include a licensed bar, a kitchen, room for hire and indoor and outdoor bowling greens. These facilities are also available to hire for weddings, funeral wakes, parties or special occasions.
The AGM - delayed because of COVID - but well attended now we have started the new season of indoor bowling.
At the AGM Danny Brooks was elected president of the club. Each year the President choses a charity for the club to support and Danny has chosen Diabetes UK as his charity for the year.
Working with our community
The club works closely with the local community and is committed to developing existing and new relationships. We host a visually impaired group who benefit from reduced fees and who meet each week for a game of bowls and a chat in the bar afterwards.
Every year our president chooses a charity, and a percentage of any fundraising is given to that charity. These include: Cancer Research UK, Willington Disabled Riders, Prostate Cancer, Bedford Hospital Cardiology Unit to name a few.
We host meetings for free for the Muscular Sclerosis and Prostate Cancer charities.
Paul Sawford the Group Coordinator of the Bedford Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society
'May I through you thank the Bowls Club for the help the have given the Multiple Sclerosis Society Bedford Branch over the past years this has helped us provide support to sufferers in the Bedford area.
The facility you provide is excellent with step free access and disabled facility. We are always made welcome at no cost to us .
The car parking is good with marked disabled bays, because of your help we are able to provide a secure and safe meeting place for our members .
So once again many thanks'
Steve Pearce the Secretary of the Beds Prostate Cancer Support Group
'The diagnosis of prostate cancer is a shock for most men and their families with the first reaction being confusion and a lack of understanding. This is where our Support Group can help, as it is likely that one or more of our members will have had similar experiences or, had the same choices/treatments offered and will be more than pleased to share these. Determining if prostate cancer is present involves a simple blood test but the earlier it is found the better, as it can be controlled and even eliminated - 1 in 8 white men and 1 in 4 black men will have a form of the disease requiring treatment or managing in some way. If found late and it has spread, it can be deadly. Monies raised have helped to provide specialist software to Bedford Hospital which has enabled them to increase the accuracy of diagnosis to 100% following which we provide subsidised PSA walk-in tests and Home testing kits resulting in over 1300 men being tested and 40+ being identified with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has enabled them to go to a GP, get in the ‘system’ and get treatment which may have saved them from an earlier death than they might otherwise have had. The Group meets at the Bedford Borough Bowling Club (by the Blues Rugby Club) every second Monday in the month at 19:30 (except August).'
We have also worked closely with the Borough Council’s Sport Development unit to encourage safe, friendly and welcoming participation experiences for new members through hosted taster/introduction programmes and are looking to establish a new programme in January of next year.
Why we need help
As with most social and sports clubs we have been hit by the Covid-19 shutdowns over the last 18 months. The financial impact of this cannot be underestimated. Lost income together with additional capital based costs to improve ventilation to the indoor facilities is already estimated to be in excess of £100,000.
During 2020 the Club was closed for most of the year and despite installing expensive special air filters we had to close the Club from November until March when we managed to open our outdoor bowling rink albeit in a limited way. Many of our members were wary of meeting others even in the fresh air, but gradually some returned, and we were able to run a few outdoor bowling leagues throughout late spring and summer.
Indoor bowling leagues will return on 4th October, and we hope to run through the winter while keeping in mind the need for Covid-19 protocols to ensure all our members and participants feel safe and supported. It is already clear that some members are very nervous about returning, and some may never return. Whilst we will do all that we can to support them to do so, it is vital for the future of the club that we attract new members.
How you can help
Support this crowdfunding bid:
- Make a donation – every little helps
- Purchase one of the rewards that are on offer
- Become a member of the Club - we need you!
- Sign up to one of our taster sessions – try it out its low impact exercise and great fun!
- By purchasing advertising – let our members know what your business can offer
How will the money be used?
The priorities identified for the project are:
- Update the clubs Technology (ICT) facilities (Approx £5k)
- Indoor carpet renovation (Approx £3k)
- Installation of a fire alarm system (Approx £5k)
- Refurbish the men’s toilets (Approx £3k)
- Revamp of the main reception area by the main entrance to the Club (Approx £1k)
- Refresh the kitchen facilities and dining area (Approx £2k)
- Increases our budget to develop outreach into the local community (Approx £1.5)
This project successfully funded on 17th November 2021