Calne Bowls Club

We have now received the grant from the Sports England scheme which is there to help sports clubs to resume playing, Covid safe, and we are getting ready to set up the club as an even safer environment than it was last year. Without this grant many of the items we have obtained, such as non touch soap and hand gel dispensers, infra-red head thermometer, anti viral wipes and foggers, would have been beyond the club’s finances. In addition we have ordered 2 x 2.5 mtr square gazebos for extra cover, as the pavilion will still have restricted use for a while.  There will be an extractor fan installed in the pavilion to allow greater air flow.

Work needs to be done on the flower beds and some members have already started on the preparation.  We will also be working on the paving to make it safe (thanks again to Calne Council for their grant),

We now await Bowls England instructions to get started and we will be ready to welcome members and visitors to our green in a safe and attractive environment to play the wonderful game of bowls.

Many thanks to Les and Phil, 2 of our newest members. They have tackled the buddleia and given it its annual haircut.  At the same time Yvonne trimmed back the laurel.

Many thanks folks.  There is still a lot to do but we will be ready when we eventually get the OK from Bowls England to get back to bowls.  Come March 29th, Covid restrictions permitting, we will roll our sleeves up and really get cracking on smartening up the club for opening day.

Many thanks to Calne Without Parish Council for the grant to enable us to purchase smaller sized woods for club stock, giving visitors and new members the chance to try out all different sizes and enjoy the great game of bowls.  Smaller woods are more suitable for both the young players and more mature members of our community and are good for beginners. We had only 1 set in stock and now will be able to buy several more sets to give us options.

A big thank you to Calne Town Council as we have just been given a grant to enable us to complete the renovation of our green surrounds.  It is greatly appreciated as we get the club ready to face a new season and will enable us to ensure that the club is an attractive addition to the Recreation Club area.

Many thanks to husband and wife team, Yvonne and Steve, for all their hard work.  As part of their exercise regime, under Covid rules, they have cleared the first border, ready for further maintenance.  It is intended to raise the border and make it a memorial rose garden in memory of Colin Chatwin, with roses donated by Ann.

The second border awaits!

By the way, the daffodils did not go to waste and are now happily growing in a member’s garden.

Second day and another border cleared

We are now awaiting details from Bowls England as to how/when we can commence bowling.  I suspect if they issue any notification that it will be with provisional dates.

We currently have all our fixtures (excluding club competitions) shown for 2021 on the website, both in tabular form and in the Events Calendar.  These I suspect will need to be updated once we are certain of commencement of bowling dates.

In the meantime the committee is making plans with regard to general maintenance/pre-season tidy up of the club and as soon as we can provide dates we will advise members.

Until then we can only look forward to the sun on our backs and the woods running down the green.

A big thank you to the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust for giving us a grant of £2,000 to help us through the winter, following the 2020 season where our income was dramatically reduced.

This was due to the loss of green fees as no competitive games against other clubs was allowed due to Covid, in addition to this we could not hold any fund raising events, as well as a lot of our sponsors were not able to support us this year.

This grant will ensure we can maintain our green, especially as we have spent a lot of energy and time bringing it back to a high standard.

Later this year we will get a small plaque to put up in commerative of the Trusts generosity and support.

We have now entered Tier 3 as this Covid 19 takes hold of the country again, but hopefully 2021 will be a better year once the vaccine gets rolled out.

Time to think of the future, so here is a picture of the green today, not bothered by Covid or Tier 3. Twit and Twoo standing as guardians, the grass covered in a beautiful frost blanket.

Roll on the summer and bowling, in the meantime a Happy New Year to all, stay safe.

It is with great sadness we have to announce that John passed away on Boxing Day,

John was a well liked member of the club and our thoughts are with Karen at this difficult time.

Roll on 2021 season, with hopefully Covid problems behind us.  A big thank you to all those who have supported us during this difficult year, not forgetting all those members and visitors who have rallied round and made some happy memories on the green.

Now is the time to wish all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a very healthy 2021.