Still waiting for outdoor bowls in Hastings

As a responsible, Covid-19 aware, adult of retirement age, (and there are many of us) who still manages to make decisions with regards to my physical, mental and health as to whether I can or should play a sport, or engage with any social event. This has brought up a question.

The Government tells me I can now play football, cricket, tennis, crazy golf, stoolball, golf, and can walk with a ramblers group.

Indoors I can go swimming in the baths, workout in a gym and very recently play ten pin bowls plus visit a circus.

If I feel brave I now see that I can have a coach trip or coach holiday (masks of course).

If at a weekend I feel very brave and adventurous, I can walk in the old town (George Street, High Street ect) and along the seafront and mingle with other locals and many visitors, where a lot of these people don’t seem to care about social distancing and many more can’t avoid being up close due the numbers.

If I should require a drink or food I have a choice of coffee/tea at many places or go in a cafe, restaurant or pub.

If I have the money I can even, indoors, try to win something in a casino.

But, and there is always a but, I am unable to play in my own town, which I have done for over 25 years a game of outdoor bowls. Why?

Because the Hastings council has closed for good the bowls green in Alexandra Park and the bowls green at Grosvenor Crescent (which has forced the four bowling clubs that used these greens to give up) means that only the White Rock four greens are the only public greens in the town that can be used.

They have been maintained over winter and are ready, I hear, to be played on, but the council will not open them.

This is in spite of other clubs (not public greens) like Hollington, Westfield and Guestling being open.

Rother district greens at Edgeton Park Bexhill (open to the public) have been open now for seven weeks.

Surely the council can open the White Rock greens to the public even if it means employing one or two people to collect money and could also take names and contact numbers for check and trace if needed.

If the wages are too much perhaps we could have a whip round!

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