Calne Bowls Club

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.

The Club, represented by our Chairman Barry Wicks, today signed the final documents for our own lease.  This now gives us the chance to take one of the biggest steps the club has taken, to grow and develop our great club.

We have been in existence since 1914, through good and bad times, but this heralds the start of a new era for bowls in Calne.

A lot of work is now needed to achieve the next steps and Covid-19 is not helping, but that will not stop our progress, maybe delay it, but not stop it.

After making the best of things in this Covid 19 year, we finally get to closing the green.

We started at 9-30 and by 10-45, everything had been tidied away.

A big thank you to, not in any order, Mike & Mayumi, Josie,  Barry K, Martin G, Roy, Ley, Les, Rod, Sheila and Steve. Your correspondent just bossed people about.

Not to forget Martin S who turned up after we had finished, note to myself, must start at 11am and to remind Martin to have an early night!!  hehe.

Thanks for the chat Martin.

Anyway, here are some pictures and don’t go on about social distancing,!