Prestbury Bowling Club

                                        Prestbury Bowling Club:  December 2024 Newsletter

Dear Members,

I hope that you are all keeping well as we move into the winter months.
Even though our green has been closed for 2 months following the conclusion of an excellent 2024 Season, activity within the Club remains extremely busy. Knowing that there is a lot going on, it felt like a good time to inform everyone of the various ongoing projects that should place us in a wonderful position to launch our 2025 season in March. Updates are as follows:

Hosting Community Groups:
Several years ago, our Club regularly hosted a number of different groups, but in recent years this has reduced to just a weekly hosting for a group of MS sufferers. In September, I wrote out to all members seeking feedback on our Club hosting more community groups. I’m pleased to report back that we received sufficient positive responses from members that we can now move forwards with this initiative. Specifically, we have 11 members that are happy to seek DBS clearance (some already have this) and go through the CCBA Safeguarding Training Course, so that they are well equipped to act as a core Community Team in hosting groups on our green. This group will get together in the new year to share ideas on which groups we could reach out to. If you are aware of any group that you feel would enjoy a session of crown green bowling, then please let me know. It would be great if, by early next season, we are able to regularly host one or two more groups.

Clubhouse Refurbishment:
With our Club now in a much stronger financial position following the boost in membership, the Management Committee has been able to look at opportunities to invest in Club facilities. Initially we will refurbish the Clubhouse, particularly the kitchen area. The first activity on-site will be the acquisition of an additional shed to be erected during December. This will provide storage for a number of items of furniture that are currently housed in the Club Room. The refurbishment itself will take place through January and February. If everything goes to plan, we will have a new kitchen and seating area in our Clubhouse nicely ahead of the green opening in mid-March.

Club Clothing:
Next season will be our Club’s 25th anniversary and so it felt right to create and launch a range of Club Clothing to celebrate this. The project team (consisting of Peter Walsh, Stella Miller, Jayne Roberts and myself) have worked on sourcing a good range of clothing to include a cap, polo shirts (with ladies cut), jumpers, gilet and one or two other items. Each item will be embroidered with the Prestbury crest designed in Royal Blue and Silver. The Silver colour has been chosen to act as a discreet nod to our 25th Anniversary! The full range is targeted to be launched to all members in late January or early February, and in advance of this we will also have a display of some items at our Christmas Party. Look out for details of the full launch event in the New Year.

Indoor Bowling:
With so many of us missing bowling, to help get us through the winter months we have again launched regular Indoor Bowling sessions at Macclesfield Leisure Centre. So far, it’s been a great way to keep camaraderie going and keep the bowling arm well-oiled! These sessions are held weekly on Thursdays running from 1pm to 3pm for a (very!) small cost to members that attend. The Leisure Centre do have some bowls for use but if you have your own crown green bowls then please bring these along. Everyone is welcome. Do come along to see what Short-Mat Bowling is all about. Just to note, we will be taking a short break before and after Christmas. Please look out for this information on the website and WhatsApp Chat groups.

Bowling Teams for 2025:
At this time of year, our Club Captain, David Freeth, is working with each of our 7 Team Captains to build up suitable squads for next season. If you played in the league teams this year then please let David know if you can play again. If you didn’t play in a league team last year, but are thinking about starting, then please drop David a short email to register your interest. League matches are a great way to add an extra flavour to your bowling experience!

Summary:
And so, as we approach Christmas, we have initiatives all moving forward on Community, Clubhouse and Clothing! My heartfelt thanks to all the members who have stepped up to volunteer to help on these projects. We are certainly blessed with many enthusiastic and talented people! To everyone coming to our Christmas Party on the 7th, I look forward to seeing you there. And to all members, on behalf of the Management Committee, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy festive season, with warm wishes for the New Year.

Alan Heaton
Chairman,
Prestbury Bowling Club