Indoor Bowling Mat

Aim

Our three lane indoor bowling mat is in urgent need of replacement. Without it, we will eventually be unable to continue!

Who are we?

The Etherow Centre in Broadbottom is home to the Etherow Indoor Bowling Centre. The building is managed by a registered Charity, The Etherow Centre Charitable Trust. 

The Etherow Centre is located next to Broadbottom railway station and was a former railway shed. The mission statement of the Charitable Trust is to "maintain the Etherow Centre building for the provision of recreational and therapeutic activities for the disabled".

All the income generated by indoor bowling goes directly to the Charitable Trust to maintain and improve the facilities at the Centre. Recently we have upgraded the toilets to benefits those with disabilities; installed solar panels to reduce our carbon footprint; had the building re-pointed to maintain its fabric and had some of the enormous windows replaced and brought up to date. 

Inspired Animal Therapy CIC use the stables on the ground floor and local music groups use the two band rooms. The indoor bowling is situated on the top floor of three.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have a 3 lane bowling mat that urgently needs replacing due to long term wear. Failure to replace the mat would ultimately lead to indoor bowling ceasing at the centre.

This is not just about the need for a bowling mat, it is more importantly about the need for a safe space where mainly retired people can come together to play a sport they love with friends they have often known for decades. As well being good for them physically it combats social isolation which is well known for its negative effects on mental health as people age. A large number of our Members carry one or more disabilities, although they are not the type of people who will let it be known...or let it interfere with their bowling throughout the year.

A number of our members live in areas which are in the 1st decile of the indices of social deprivation in Hyde, Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Tameside in general. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

100% of monies raised will be spent on the mat.

Community impact

Two years ago, indoor bowling almost came to an end at The Etherow Centre when the company running it pulled out giving us very little notice. In conjunction with the Trust and a very supportive local councillor, the Members came together and took over the running of the sport. The club is now entirely run by volunteers and Trustees.

Since then we have tripled Membership to around 350; we have introduced short mat bowling and have had a tournament televised.

We have now generated such a great reputation amongst the indoor bowling community that we have players and clubs coming from the UK and Europe to play at our venue. We estimate that we have had a 1000 visitors in the last two years.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

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!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made