Upgrade facilities at Wollescote Hall Bowls Club

Who are we?

Lawn Bowls have been played at Stevens Park Wollescote Hall since 1994 when two grass court tennis courts were converted to a flat bowling green.

Since then the site has been used by two separate clubs sharing equipment and running costs. The site lacked any of the usual amenities until 2003 when a simple timber-built club house/pavilion (that is now showing age) was acquired. Since then, additional storage structures have been added and in recent years basic changing room facilities. The site does not have its own toilets having access to close-by facilities off site.

Throughout their life both clubs maintained a reasonably healthy membership and financial viability. The Covid-19 pandemic however cast a shadow over their continued existence. Covid unfortunately featured in the death and physical impairment of members reducing the overall number of members either by loss or no longer able to partake in the game. Some remained as social members with of course reduced fees, thus contributing to the financial burden of the clubs. A resultant factor was the reduction in the number of individuals available to play both competitive and friendly games threatening the clubs’ memberships of the various bowling circles they belonged to. In addition, the green, which due to its previous use as a tennis court has always presented challenges with upkeep, suffered from lack of playing and regular maintenance.

 It became obvious that answer to these issues and the continued future and development of bowling in the area would be best served by merging the two clubs.

This was formally achieved and recognised by Worcestershire Bowling Association in December 2021.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We are crowdfunding to raise funds for phase 1 of a plan to develop the green and clubhouse, this will enable us to best serve a growing demand from individuals and local organisations.

The club is located in a quiet and attractive location and is securely fenced. and whilst an ideal location for bowling there are several drawbacks which need to be addressed if we are to be successful in our desire to open the facilities to the wider community and meet the demand from various local groups who have responded positively to our invitation to use the green.

These include local school children to be able to participate in the sport during school hours. Participation will contribute to the attainment of Key Stages 2,3 and 4 of the National Curriculum in Physical Education.  A similar request has been made from a Special Needs Children’s Group who see the children’s involvement as a means of aiding their individual development and contributing to the clubs commitment to community involvement. A local scout group has also expressed an interest and has booked a preliminary visit this summer.

 The existing buildings are in effect fancy sheds and need to be replaced as they no longer meet the needs of a modern-day bowls club and require constant and expensive maintenance. The kitchen facility is very limited being a means to boil a kettle and a sink for washing up. There is no facility for spectators which is particularly important during inclement weather. The toilets are offsite and do not belong to the club. Their condition is often dubious and an embarrassment when we host other clubs

The sites previous use as tennis courts has presented challenges which despite the effort and expense applied over the years have resulted in a gradual deterioration of the playing surface.

We are the only flat green club in the borough and with a growing membership from individuals new to bowling and existing members keen to improve their skills it is essential that we bring the playing service up to county standard, a task that each year is more difficult due to the underlying original tennis courts.

We have an ambitious but realistic development plan to erect a new pavilion and toilet facilities but first we need to dig up the playing surface and lay a new one. It is this phase for which we are appealing for donations

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The club is run as a community organisation with the philosophy of offering bowling facilities for all ages at an affordable cost. Any small financial return is aimed at remaining solvent. This has served us well for some 30 years but does mean that we have limited capital funds available to invest in the project. Accordingly, we are seeking financial support from the community as well as approaching grant funding bodies

Any contribution you can make will help us achieve our dream of a modern club the local community is proud of and identifies with.

How we’ll spend the money raised

All the money raised from this appeal will be used directly for phase 1 of the project: renovation of the green and surroundings. This will entail removing  and disposing of the existing turf followed by the  excavation, breaking up and removal of the concrete blocks that anchored the net posts that remain from when the green was a tennis court. The run off ditches that surround the green will then be installed and finally the surface will be prepared and levelled and new turf laid. This will cost in the region of region of £80,000

Community impact

The lifeblood of the club is the continuous recruitment from the local community and we are keen to provide year round facilities. Discussions with local organisations indicates there is a demand from local community groups for meeting and event facilities which the pavilion could fulfil particularly out of season. Discussions will continue with local groups to explore how the use of the pavilion can be enjoyed by the wider community.

National and international competitions including the Commonwealth Games held only 30 miles away have seen an increased interest in the sport also the  emergence  of younger players. The route for these is through grass roots clubs and we  are keen to encourage and offer support to young people locally who have an interest  and show potential

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. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, 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!