Members mark the start of the new season with upgraded facilities.
The Mayor of Tiverton, Councillor Janet Rendle opened the new season of bowling at Tiverton Borough Bowling Club on Saturday. The club has benefitted from over £42,000 of works on the grounds at The Avenue over this last winter.
Mrs Rendle told members of her early memories of the bowling club as her grandfather “Jim” Jenkinson had been a member here. Growing up in The Avenue Mrs Rendle recalled that on a Saturday and match days, it was quite often very difficult to get the car out of the drive due to the cars parked by the bowlers. The Avenue also had trees lining the road which had to manoeuvred around. Having the use of the canal car park will have made a big difference.
Mrs Rendle brought a photo of her elder sister and Grandmother to show how the family enjoyed playing bowls, socialising and looking out over the glorious Devon countryside to Knightshayes and beyond. Mrs Rendle said that her grandparents would have been ‘bowled over’ by the thought that their little granddaughter would one day be back as Mayor of the town to celebrate the opening of the season.
The improvements to the grounds have included a new underground watering system, replacement sheds and the re-levelling of the surrounding areas. The works were funded from a number of sources. An initial grant from the Viscount Amory Trust started the funding efforts and Sir Ian Amory was present to hear Mrs Rendle thank Sir Ian for the way in which the Amory Charitable Funds are used for the benefit of many groups and individuals throughout Tiverton. Sir John Amory was a founding member of the Bowling Club in 1932.
Viridor Environmental Credits have supported the largest part of the works with a grant of £37,000. As a major provider of environmental improvement funding in the area, Viridor Credits Environmental Company funds community, heritage and biodiversity projects through the Landfill Communities Fund
Tiverton Borough Bowling Club welcomes new members and is open to all regardless of ability. The central location of the clubhouse, adjacent to the Grand Western Canal Car Park, now also hosts regular Yoga sessions for residents and players alike.