Our Thursday Community Project
Our club linked up with Support Horizons, Link Visiting Scheme in 2012 to introduce outdoor bowls as a fun activity to these groups.
Having committed ourselves to this project, we began working through what was necessary to meet the needs of those who would be taking part. After much discussion our club realized we were in need of a start up fund.
An approach was made to the Berkshire Community Foundation which was able to meet our needs through the Herbert and Peter Blagrave Charitable Trust. We are proud to say they are supporting our project over a three year period. It was our intention though, to keep this project going way beyond three years.
Such a wonderful sport must be passed on to just about everyone who is able to step onto the green and roll a wood (bowl). It is our intention to enable our guests to have an enjoyable and memorable experience of this subtle sport.
Our project is now five years old, we have been given financial support from the Berkshire Community Foundation, Comic Relief and the Harmony Hope and Healing Fund to keep the project running for at least another two more years. Our membership also comprises of people of advancing years who benefit.
The club considers itself to be well established in the local community. We enjoy our guests and look forward to sharing our celebrations, anniversaries (happy and sad) and the love of friendships forged. We look forward to many more seasons of building bridges.
2020 is a challenging year for us. The pandemic, Covid-19, crushed many plans and we are uncertain when it will end. Our Thursday Project put on hold for the first time.
Our bonds with Link remain strong. Our SHINE group has been a pleasure too. Our activities with both are paused. All clubs, including ours have abandoned our fixture competitions.
We are drawing up plans for a new clubhouse. We can no longer maintain our decayed building. It is dispiriting that fundraising, except for that linked with Covid, is paused. Despite this Sport England has granted us £50,000 towards our new building, so heart-warming.
Berkshire Community Foundation granted us £3,000 for the upkeep of the green.
This summer we have had to write off our Gala Recruitment and Publicity Campaign. We have cancelled our Quiz Night scheduled for February 2021; this is temporary.
Pleasing for us though, and one that gives us great pleasure is the patronage of the Rt Hon Theresa May MP. We hope that sometime soon she will try her hand at bowls with us.