The vital role of bowling greens in Hastings

I find myself writing in agreement with Ms Bones bewilderment regarding the continuing closure of the borough’s bowling greens.

It is a great shame that they now will apparently be closed until the end of October as no large public events are to take place on council owned land until at least the end of October - leading also to the sad cancellation of Hastings Week despite all the work the current chair, former mayor Maureen Charlesworth and the committee have done.

Whilst the rest of the country tries to start to re-open and get back to some semblance of normality, it appears that Hastings is to remain closed for the foreseeable future for residents and visitors alike despite there only being 6 new Covid-19 cases in the last 3 and a half weeks.

As I sit here, having recently been to the supermarket and post office in the last week, both masked and socially distanced, walked through the Priory Meadow shopping centre and even finally got to go back to the gym again, it seems crazy that these outdoor greens that could very easily employ social distancing measures remain closed.

What is more galling to residents is to see the bowling greens opening up in neighbouring councils including Rother as well as seeing other tourist attractions open such as the crazy golf in the Old Town and a circus at Glyne Gap, yet the greens at White Rock, Alexandra Park and West Marina stay closed.

Sadly, those in Alexandra Park and the ones in West Marina in my ward of West St Leonard’s may possibly never open again after the Labour council removed the funding from them in the budget this year despite the opposition from the Conservative councillors who had proposed to retain the funding for at least the coming year.

These bowling greens play a vital role in the improvement of the physical and mental well-being of all those who use them and as other councils are doing, should be opened - if indoor areas such as shops, pubs and gyms can be opened with masks and social distancing in place, why not outside bowling greens?

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