Grant boosts bowls club Future of youth
MEMBERS of Bearsted and Thurnham Bowling Club have been “bowled over” by a £50,000 grant, which will en- able them to play bowls all year round. The club has secured Olympic legacy funding from Sport England, which will en- able them to install a new syn- thetic playing surface at the club, in Church Landway. The club, founded in 1983,
has already obtained planning permission for the laying of the new synthetic surface and has had the support of all the local councillors in bidding for the funds. Last month, they learned they
had been successful in obtain- ing the cash from Sport Eng- land’s Inspired Facilities fund – part of the £150 million Places People Play legacy programme, designed to bring the magic of the Olympic and Paralympic Games into local communities. The new surface, to be laid
later this year, will be laid to the highest standards, equal to that of international tournament level, and will be a unique de- velopment within the sport in the area.
President Peter Willson said:
“It will enable members and visitors to play bowls through- out the year instead of the cur-
and expensive green-keeping costs, as well as eliminating the need for using pesticides, fer- tilisers and water. Club chairman, Grahame Har-
Club president PeterWillson, centre, with club captain Robin Lunn, left, and county secretary Michael Palmby
rent playing season of just five months. “Whilst the new surface will
play very similarly to an excel- lent grass surface, it will be able to provide a consistently high quality playing surface, able to withstand periods of extensive and prolonged use.” It will also be better able to withstand the Great British weather and mean an increase in playing time, offering more opportunities for matches, tour- naments, casual play and coaching. “The new surface will be less physically demanding than playing on grass and will be helpful to both the young and elderly as well as disabled bowlers,” said MrWillson. A further bonus for the club will be in the saving of labour
ris, said: “We are delighted to secure this £50,000 investment that makes such a substantial contribution to the fund raising necessary to secure this new fa- cility. The facility will be good for the long-term interests of the club and the sport.” The Rt Hon Hugh Robertson
MP, who, as sports minister, in- troduced the fund, said: “I am delighted that Bearsted and Thurnham Bowling club, which I knowwell, has secured a grant that will allow sport to be played the whole year around.” Both county Cllrs Paul Carter
and Jenny Whittle have donated sums from their members budg- ets to the project. Cllr Carter said: “The bowling
club is a popular local commu- nity facility and the new surface will encourage greater partici- pation and provide a year-round facility which will be beneficial to the improvement and long term prospect of the club. “It is vital that public organi- sations support sport and I am delighted to have been able to donate some of my member community grant to this very worthy application.”
club uncertain THE future of Lenham Youth Club is under discussion after KCC pulled out of running it. Switch Youth Café, based in Maidstone High Street, has agreed to provide a replace- ment service, but details are yet to be finalised. Cllr JennyWhit- tle, cabinet member for special- ist children’s services, said the head of Swadelands would be asked whether Switch could continue to use the school site. Switch was likely to run the
youth centre at least two nights aweek as well as taking “street- based” activities to rural areas such as Lenham by van, Cllr Whittle added. Activities are likely to be similar to before, in- cluding cookery, pool, employ- ment advice, games and music. Cllr Whittle said: “We are still fleshing out the details.We are going to ask young people what they want, possibly via a formal consultation but also by speak- ing to the Maidstone represen- tatives on Kent Youth County Council.” CllrWhittle said parishioners
were keen for a youth service to continue to prevent youngsters “hanging around” in the village square.
Lenham was one of seven
youth centres in the county that faced closure due to KCCmeas- ures to save £1.4m.
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