Your Good Cause in the Spotlight - Waterlooville Bowling Club

Established in 1933 the Waterlooville Bowling Club has had its home in Jubilee Gardens, Waterlooville for the last 76 years.  In 1983 the Ladies Club was established and today the club continues to gain members, encouraging both men and women, young and old. There are currently 120 members but they are hoping to attract many more.

What is lawn bowls? Lawn bowls is a popular game played across the world and is suitable for all ages.  The object of the game is to roll your ‘bowl’ towards the small white ‘Jack’, and get it as close as possible.  Waterlooville has a ‘carpet’ to play on, which is known as the green, and because it is an artificial surface play continues throughout the year, helping people get out, socialise and fight those winter blues.

The club offers a range of activities including league games, in-house competitions, Ladies League and sociable bowling.  The choice is yours; you can play sociably or take your game to a new level and join in with local or regional games. You can go along and get 2 free taster sessions which gives you a chance to find out if the game is for you. They also offer bridge nights, quizzes and refreshments.  Refreshments are provided from their newly refurbished kitchen.

Recently the Ladies League, including Gillian Hodges (Ladies President), Linda McWilliam (Ladies Captain), Linda Holt (Ladies Secretary) and Jackie Buckley (Community Member), have been working hard to promote the club and are encouraging young people to join in the fun.  So far, they have approached the Boys’ Brigade, Scouts, Guides and local schools and spoken to many children about the game.  Many children have enjoyed free bowls at the club and they are hoping to soon start up a Junior League. 

As a country wide initiative, the Women’s Institute has been invited to visit their local bowls club.  The Stakes WI took up this offer and arranged a visit with the Waterlooville Bowls Club. They had a fun day out claiming that they could see the benefits of playing the game.  They even signed up for another visit.

So what are the benefits?  According to an article in the Heart Matter Magazine (Heart Matters) “Bowls is a social sport, suitable for all levels of fitness…there is a club near you, the rules are simple, there are many varieties to try and it is perfect for all ages.”  Keith Warren from the Waterlooville Bowling Club also mentioned that it is a ‘friendly sport’ and Linda McWilliam said that it feels like ‘one big happy family’.  Also by approaching different organisations, the members of the Bowling Club are going out into the community and bringing individuals into a warm, friendly environment, helping to combat loneliness and isolation in the community. 

How Will Your Support Help?

The Waterlooville Bowling Club became members of the Havant Borough Lottery in May 2018 and with your support they are hoping to raise funds for their club.  So far, they have managed to independently raise £60,000 to replace the green but they need a further £120,000 to extend the club and update their facilities, improving their accessible toilets.  The club is beginning to feel a little dated and is not quite big enough for the visions that the members of the club have.  Can you help make this club grow and become a prominent sporting feature in Waterlooville?  Choose ‘Waterlooville Bowling Club’ when selecting your good cause

Now Let’s Play Bowls!