The club was busy on Bank Holiday Monday as adults and children called in at the club to "Give bowls a try" as part of the Bowls England national Bowls Big Weekend. The national weekend had kicked off on Saturday with strong media presence across the country including a a feature on BBC Breakfast, national newspaper articles, radio slots, and lots of traffic over social platforms. Gildredge had chosen Bank Holiday Monday for our event and we opened our doors from 10.00 to 3.00. Thirty eight people came along, as well as a number of children.
The visitors loved bowling and many stayed for an hour or more. All the guests felt very welcome and everyone had a good time. Two people loved it so much they signed up, and paid, immediately to become full members! Others are coming back for the four week coaching/play follow-up before deciding whether they want to join.
Photo: Two new bowlers at the open day who showed great potential after just 15 minutes on the green
Photo montage: Some images from the day
Thank you to all the club members who set up the rinks and helped people in their first attempts at playing the sport. Also to everyone who welcomed visitors, blew up balloons, ran the reception desk, talked to people about our club, staffed the bar, made cups of tea, and helped visitors play bowls. All these volunteers gave such a wonderful impression of what a great club we have.
At the very end of the day when all the visitors had left there was a short scratch match between two fours. No jack....just a hoop with a suspended bell at the far end of the green. Only bowls that hit the bell counted. There was some fancy bowling over the two end match and lots of near misses. But the bell was rung seven times over two ends which was a pretty good effort at the end of a long day.
Photo: A brief rest before the "hit the bell" challenge
