Sport England: Active Together has provided £10,000 of match funding
Keep Luton Bowling along
Luton, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To repair the financial damage caused by COVID so that the future of the club and our facility can be secured for the community.
Our Club:
Luton Indoor Bowls club is a long-standing friendly community-based Bowls club with approximately 300 members, based in the Round Green area of Luton. In normal times, our club is open most days, with bowls sessions mornings, afternoons and evening, allowing all members of our diverse community, young, old, disabled, retired, working to enjoy the fantastic game of bowls.
Our club is a great environment to meet and make new friends. We actively encourage new bowlers to the game by inviting them to join our social bowling groups where we meet for a relaxed game of bowls, a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. It is very friendly and a lot of fun.
We cater for all levels of bowls ability, and our club runs leagues and plays competitive matches against other clubs in the area. We have a busy, well stocked bar, catering facilities, a function room that can be hired out for various hospitality events and fitness etc. The club organises various social events including dinners and lunches. Our large car park makes visiting and using these facilities very convenient.
Before lockdown, we were beginning to see an uptake in membership, partly due to its increasing popularity from the additional exposure bowls was getting on TV and the fact that it will be a Commonwealth games discipline when it is held in Birmingham in 2022.
The Impact of Covid & Lockdown
It has put extraordinary strain on the finances and future of our club.
The impact of Covid & Lockdown has struck hard reducing income whilst overheads, including rent, rates, utilities & maintenance still remain. A year of no income has depleted our reserves and our financial position is in need of urgent support. We must ensure the future of our great facility and the mental & physical wellbeing of the club members & the wider community that use our facilities.
This why we are appealing to you to help us survive this challenging period and keep this great club serving the community as it has done for the last 33 years.
How you can help us:
- by making a donation - "every small donation helps"
- by purchasing one of the rewards on offer
- by becoming a club member - see rewards section
- by signing up for one of our bowls taster sessions - see rewards section
- by sponsoring one of our sign boards that are placed around the club - be seen by the local community and their families and friends
What we will be using the money for:
- Replacement carpet grippers - to enhance the bowling surface and experience.
- Update our Kitchen Equipment, which is now 'not fit for purpose'& requires urgent replacement.
- Repair several leaks in our roof. -"raindrops keep falling on our heads"
- Investigate to replace our current lighting - to allow us to play in an environment with more natural & cost effective LED lighting.
- Provide outdoor seating area - so members can enjoy a drink other than in the bar.
- Promote the club to a wider audience, to coincide with Bowls being a core sport in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
- Review and enhance our facilities to ensure disabled members get the best experience when visiting and bowling at our club.
Some more about our Club
Our early 'Royal' beginnings:
The Club was established in 1988 and has occupied its current building since its opening by Diana, Princess of Wales in the same year. We are affiliated to the English Indoor Bowling Association, Bedfordshire Indoor Bowling Association and London & Southern Counties Bowling Association.
Meet some of our Members:
Jonathon Stokes (Left), England International, Terry Bragger (Centre) Club President & Peter Agnew (Right) ) Over 55 England Triallist
Jonathon Stokes - our own England International -“Wishing Luton Indoor Bowls Club all the best in their Crowdfunding project, it is a great club, having spent my formative years bowling at the club, it is a pleasure to support them”.
Luton Indoor Bowls Club - more than just Bowls
Having Fun in the Sun: August means BBQ time at the club:
As a club we are committed to supporting the local community . We have and continue to make our function room available free of charge for local charities who have used it over the years raising many hundreds of pounds for local causes. Other examples of our recent work in this area include:
- the hosting and managing of an event to raise funds specifically for the new helipad at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
- ongoing members fundraising activities over a number of years to support the excellent work of Keech Hospice Care in Luton. Keech are the adult hospice for Luton and South Bedfordshire and the children's hospice for Bedfordshire , Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes through donations over the bar.
- Luton Chiltern Rotary Club had, prior to COVID-19, begun to use the function room on Monday evenings and will be undertaking a bowlathon to raise funds for its charitable works as soon as COVID-19 restrictions allow.
The club are fully committed to continuing to support local charities and there is a presently proposal before the committee to adopt a single local charity for the next year, in addition to the ongoing fundraising for Keech Hospice Care.
This project successfully funded on 23rd July 2021