Swindon Bats Sports & Social Club

The Swindon Bats Sports & Social Club was first formed in February 2006 when, following a ‘have-a-go day’ organised by British Blind Sport and Wiltshire Blind Association (now Wiltshire Sight), and as a result of this trial day, a group of visually impaired people decided to meet regularly to play Tenpin Bowling and Socialise and the rest as they say is History!

Our Bowling Group has gone from strength to strength and many of our members have joined  The National Blind Ten Pin Bowling League through British Blind Sport which hosts 2 yearly National competitions.

I wanted to update you all on some of our upcoming Activities and Sports just so you all know how your incredible donation is being spent. In November we have an afternoon tea arranged at The Weighbridge-Pub for our members, in December we have a special Audio Described sitting of The Annual Pantomime at The Wyvern Theatre, a Christmas Meal at The Great Western Railway Pub and in January we are hoping to arrange a Charity Rock and Roll Bingo Night at The Manor Farm Pub (which is where we have our weekly pub quiz on a Sunday night with our Team- The Geeky Blinders!) In April we have a days Sailing arranged at South Carney Lakes and I am currently working on arranging a Day out at Cotswold wildlife park for the Summer as Zoo Keepers for the day!

Our Ten Pin Bowling Teams are also currently in the middle of The British Bind League with 4 Matches Played and another 8 to play, there’s a lot riding on us getting through to the British Blind Sports Championships in Sheffield next May! So here’s hoping a few of our team members will be successful this year again. We’ll be in great company as we will be playing alongside Para Sport Medallist Lucy who won Silver in Ten Pin Bowling at The international games for blind and partially sighted athletes in August!

The Bats were also recently shortlisted from over 400 applications to just 4 nominees in The BBC Wiltshire Make a Difference Awards, in The “Together” category. Swindon Bats went on to win the award in September and if you keep an eye out next week you’ll hopefully get to see us on BBC Points West News as there coming out to film us next Wednesday at Bowling!

Our next venture will be Acoustic Riffle Shooting for our members at a shooting range in Cricklade which we hope to become a weekly activity, a specially adapted driving race track day (yes you read that right!) and I’m currently looking into the regular use/hire of a minibus to get us to our various activities as transport as you can imagine s a real difficulty for our members.

We are honestly so overwhelmed by your kindness today and can’t thank you enough. You really have helped change the lives of so many people facing Sight Loss and allowed us to keep going with your vital fundraising.

Our Ten pin Bowling Group now meet twice a week on Wednesday afternoons (weekly) and Thursday evenings (fortnightly).

In January 2008 a group of members decided that it would be good to have somewhere to meet on a regular basis where visually impaired people could learn from each other how to cope with their sight loss an so the Monday Club was formed. The Monday Club meets on a fortnightly basis so members can chat and have a cup of tea together. 

Other Sporting activities throughout the years have included: Acoustic Rifle Shooting, Skittles and Indoor Kurling. 

But we are not just about Sporting Activities, we also have regular  Day Trips, Theatre Trips, Meals Out and Events!

Here's a few of Last year's Social Activities :

March saw us all enchanted at The Harry Potter Studios Tour! April saw us shoot for the stars at an Accoustic Rifle Shooting Taster Day, May saw us reach out to a local Primary School and run a Para Sports Day, In August we attended the Superheros Tri for Disabled Sports in Winchester, September took us to a comedy show at The Wyvern Theatre, November we had an Afternoon Tea arranged for our members, in December we had a special Audio Described sitting of The Annual Pantomime at The Wyvern Theatre with a Touch Tour beforehand, a Christmas Meal at The Great Western Railway Pub, A Rock and Roll Bingo Night at The Manor Farm Pub and a Christmas Pub Quiz at The Ridge!

In April we have a days Sailing arranged at South Carney Lakes and we are currently working on arranging a Day out at a Wildlife Park and a Day Trip to Cadburys World.

The Bats were also recently shortlisted from over 400 applications to just 4 nominees in The BBC Wiltshire Make a Difference Awards, in The “Together” category. Swindon Bats went on to win the award in September 2023.

The club became a registered charity in February 2011.The charity number is 1140531

The comittee are all volunteers and the club has several sighted helpers/carers who support our members to engage in our activities. 

Without donations from the public and the time donated by our volunteers we couldn't run the groups or subsidisethe activities put on for the sight loss community we support in Swindon. 

We are incredibly greatful for all help or support and especially thankful for your kind donations that keep us going.