LETTER: Shame to lose a great club

Horsham and District Indoor Bowling Club is a lifeline for handicapped people, the disabled, blind and those with Alzheimer’s as well as the elderly and the young. It would really be a shame to lose this great club that has nearly 450 members and has been in Horsham for 19 years now.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Mar 2014, 12:20 BST
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Our club competes in a sport recognised at County, National and International levels and is a successful club, to which many visitors come to play bowls each week from other clubs in the county, and enhances the reputation of its district.

We have, and need, our own restaurant and bar as well as a minimum of six rinks and our own changing rooms. Our club couldn’t work with just a couple of rinks tucked away in a corner of a leisure centre.

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We are a club that books our games a year in advance, after every match we have a drink and a meal with our visiting teams. Our matches are fun, competitive and gentle exercise. It’s a good way to meet new people and make friends.

Horsham District Indoor Bowls Club cannot have any break in continuity as this will result in the destruction of the club.

We have staged prestigious events at County and National levels.

We provide qualified tuition to players of all ages, particularly our Junior Section which is highly regarded at County level. Our juniors are members of Sussex County Junior Acedemy and Juniors from all over the county will be taking their Level 4 (and other levels) exams on 23rd March at our club.

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The club is regularly used by the local Blind Bowlers organisation, the Alzheimer’s Society who also stay for lunch in our restaurant, parties from outdoor bowling clubs and other societies.

We have a bridge club, stage whist drives, concerts and other social events. It is popular for other clubs and societies to hold meetings, dinners, parties, wedding receptions and so on.

The English Bowls Umpires Association uses our club to train and assess umpires.

But most of all, whether you bowl or not, whether you are a couple or on your own, if you are feeling lonely and need somebody to talk to you will always find a friendly face and somebody to have a chat, cup of tea/coffee or a game of bowls and a meal.

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We need to persuade Horsham District Council not to close us down when our lease expires in June 2015, we need to continue to be a part of Horsham leisure. We are an ageing population, as we are continually being told, so come on Horsham council, look after us, don’t take away the one sport we can do very well.

Our members range in age from eight to 94 - what other sport can say that?

FRAN BAILLIE

Ladies vice-captain, Horsham District Indoor Bowling Club, Wickhurst Lane, Broadbridge Heath

Related topics:Horsham District Council