Hesketh Park Bowls Club: Replacing Ditch Timbers

Aim: We are looking to replace the wood that surrounds our bowls green and replace it with sustainable weatherproof material.

Who we are

We are Hesketh Park Bowls Club based in Dartford, we are situated in a public park and currently maintain our own green and small clubhouse. The club is 121 years old this year and we currently have 37 members, 5 new members joined us in May 2025, we are inclusive for all ages and abilities.

How the club started

On this day 20th April in 1904. 
The public opening of Hesketh Park took place.
Two years earlier, Everard Hesketh, the owner and manager of J&E Hall, and prominent local politician, offered land in Dartford for a recreation ground.

I am prepared to purchase the land, to lay it out, to fence it in with oak park fencing, and to hand it over to the Urban District Council … on the usual condition that the ground shall be maintained for ever as a public recreation ground for the inhabitants of Dartford.

For the public opening of Hesketh Park, factories closed and the town’s streets were decorated, and the afternoon was declared a town holiday.

The Green and Clubhouse
The bowling green was a small, three rink green to start with. By the end of 1904, the Club's membership had increased from 14 to 60. The green was enlarged to six rinks.  The green was officially re-opened in ideal weather conditions on 24th April 1937 by the Mayor, Councillor Alex Webb. The Club's oldest member 94 year old Mr George Hackman bowled the first wood on the improved green which was bedecked with pennants to honour the occasion.

The facilities of the Club have been greatly improved in recent years. This is due to the efforts and financial assistance of various members - past and present, who were only too willing to share their expertise and give freely of their time. In 1964 the Clubhouse originally known as the ''Charles Bareham Pavillion'' was opened. This building was extended in 1987 to the size it is today.

In 1992, the Council decided at very short notice, to hand the responsibility of maintaining both the green and the Clubhouse to the members.  

Initially, the Bowls Club joined a consortium with Dartford Cricket Club, Crackenford Hockey Club and the Bowmen of Darentford to pool resources for the maintenance of the facilities. However, this was never really successful and in 1997, the Bowls Club decided to leave the consortium and become independent.

The Club is now managing to keep apace with the changes necessary to progress through the 21st Century. Special thanks to all concerned. The Club owes its survival to you, the members and friends of Hesketh Park Bowls Club.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Every year we repair wood that has rotted around the ditches, it costs us more money each year to repair. This project aims to use a more sustainable material and will benefit the environment by not using wood and paint. It will enable better and safer access to the bowls green. This project will cost £15,896 for a company to remove the old wood, prepare the surface, and replace with a sustainable weatherproof material and cover over with artificial grass.

How we’ll spend the money raised

'Sport England sees the value of our project and has pledged £7,948 if we can raise the other £7,948 through 25 unique supporters through this crowdfunder'

Hesketh Park intends to spend the money raised to renovate the wood around our bowls ditch to make it saver for our members and the public that watch our games. Those that can no longer play attend our social events and watch club matches and mentor, if they are able. The club plays a central role in members lives in keeping them active and engaged. The partners or the carers of members can attend the club on match days and social events, this helps considerably with the mental well being of members and member's partners. In recognition of the role the club plays, a Welfare Officer was appointed in 2022. The Welfare Officer keeps in contact with vulnerable members and takes action where appropriate.

The club have investigated the costs of replacing timbers with sustainable weatherproof material and have been quoted £15,896 for a weatherproof replacement. The weatherproof replacement is guaranteed for life and will not need replacing for some considerable years if ever. The project is to replace an existing asset that is essential and the club will not be able to function in the near future unless this issue is addressed as soon as possible..

Community impact

We provide opportunities for anyone to try our organised open days mainly from the community that use the park and local area.  People often walk past the bowls green stop and watch the games, we do have benches for spectators.  During the bowls season we have roll up sessions, anyone who is interested  can come and have a go. We also run social events for members, guests and friends. Bowls is a game for all ages and abilities and has a stress-free feel about it.

How you can play your part

We hope to raise the money by donations from our bowls and social members, but to raise this amount we need support from the community and wider afield. This will increase membership and make the area better to access. 

Every year the club raises money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Prostate Cancer by having bowls events and inviting other clubs.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!