LETTER: Ambition for a showpiece facility

On behalf of the Board and members of Horsham District Indoor Bowls Club I wish to express a big thank you to many people in Horsham and the South East.
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To all those who signed the petition for the continuance of the bowls club.

To those councillors who have visited us.

To those councillors who gave us support at recent council meetings.

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To bowls clubs in Sussex and Surrey who wrote in to the council extolling our role in County Bowls.

To those organisations who wrote in emphasising the importance of bowls for the older generation.

To those health specialists who perceived the need for bowls as beneficial to health.

To all our members who wrote to councillors and MP regarding our future.

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To our members who rallied to the cause and showed their concern by marching through Horsham in support.

And not forgetting the crucial backing received from the County Times Gary Shipton and Joshua Powling.

All this enabled councillor Jonathan Chowen to make another one of his ‘handbrake turns’ so that we have a future in the new leisure centre with some form of extension to our current lease until the new premises are ready.

However, this is just the first step forward, there are many more to come. The council now has the opportunity to create a superb bowls facility and bowls club by making sure the basic needs of the club are met. With the capital being raised from the quadrant deal they must resist the temptation to be parsimonious on the leisure centre spending and disperse all the proceeds.

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Horsham and the bowls club have won (by dint of dogged perseverance) the first battle but there are more to come. We need proper catering and bar facilities (which can be shared by other users) and specific changing rooms for all our visiting clubs as well as ourselves.

We will work with the council and the leisure centre management and JUG to achieve the best possible result but the bowls side must be run by those who know what to do.

If they wanted to, the council could make this a showpiece for the country so have some ambition Councillor Chowen and HDC management.

JOHN COGHLAN

Chairman, Horsham District Indoor Bowls Club, Wickhurst Lane, Broadbridge Heath

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