Eastbourne Borough Indoor Bowling Club to close - 'This decision has been made with deep regret'

Eastbourne Borough Indoor Bowling Club, in Priory Lane, will cease its operations on August 31 this year, Eastbourne Borough FC has confirmed.

The club said ‘despite exploring various options’ the venue is ‘no longer financially viable’, and increasing costs for new members ‘would not have solved the underlying challenges’.

"This decision has been made with deep regret and after much consideration,” a club spokesperson said.

"We know how important the club has been to our 248 members and the wider community, and we are truly sorry for the sadness and disruption this will cause.

"The Indoor Bowling Club has been a cherished part of Priory Lane, and we are immensely grateful to all those who have supported it over the years.

"We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported the bowling club, your passion, your friendship, and your loyalty have been deeply valued by all of us at the club.

"We will be working closely with partners to help members find alternative facilities and make this transition as smooth as possible. We are incredibly sad to be sharing this news and very sorry for the upset it may cause.”

The bowling centre will now be redeveloped as part of the club’s wellness and longevity programme and will include new facilities ‘aimed at supporting physical and mental wellbeing across all generations’.

The club spokesperson added: “The reality we face is that in order to safeguard the wider project at Eastbourne Sporting Village and to ensure that we continue to serve not just hundreds, but thousands of people in our community we must make changes that allow us to grow, sustain, and build.

"Our vision also includes creating more areas specifically designed for local children and young people, allowing us to welcome schools, families, and youth groups from across the region to enjoy sport, education, and health-related activities in a safe and inspiring environment.

“While this next phase of development will sadly mean saying goodbye to a much-loved part of our site, it will also allow us to open the doors to a greater number of local residents and visitors, generate the revenues needed to support our growing community projects, and ensure we can continue to look after our players, our young people, and our wider community for many years to come.

“We are firmly committed to building a better, brighter, and more inclusive future for everyone connected to Eastbourne Borough.”