Historic club is bowled out
Reporter DWINDLING numbers has seen a a historic Tyneside bowling club close after 130 years.
Brandling Park Bowling Club, in Jesmond, Newcastle, has been running since Victorian times but with just a dozen members the club decided to close its doors after the summer and handed the keys back to Newcastle City Council.
But now nearby residents are calling for the green to remain in place so the club could be revived next year.
No final decision can be made about the club’s future until proposals for the running Newcastle’s parks and allotments is finalised.
The cashstrapped authority has proposed transferring the parks, which would include the Brandling Bowling Club, to a charitable trust.
A final decision will not be made until later in the year.
In the meantime the council have filled in the gutters on the green and won’t be maintaining it over the winter. Peter Wardle, 77, said he offered to foot the £10,000 a year bill to maintain the green himself but he says his offer was refused. He said: “If it is left over winter it will be so damaged it won’t be able to be restored. “I would like to see it return as a bowling green, it is a beautiful setting and people who play bowls at other clubs who I’ve spoken to have said it is the best in the city. “The council has said no final decision on the future of the club has been made, but by not maintaining the green that rules out the option of keeping it as a bowling club.” With mounting budget cuts Newcastle City Council has said it simply cannot afford to spend the estimated £13,000 to maintain a bowling club and the pavilion which has no members to play. Mr Wardle said 60 people have so far signed his petition calling for the area to remain a bowling green. But the authority said it will Peter Wardle need to invite expressions of interest and look at a variety of proposals before making any final decision.
A Newcastle City Council spokesman said: “The council always appreciates ideas and suggestions from individuals and groups who are passionate about improving the areas in which they live. We’ve listened to the proposals made by Mr Wardle about Brandling Bowling Club but we reiterated that there has already been a wider public consultation, resulting in the decision to decommission the bowling club due to the lack of numbers using the facility. The offer from Mr Wardle was received after the consultation closed.
“We are awaiting the outcome of proposals whether Newcastle’s parks and allotments will be transferred over to a Charitable Trust, as the Brandling Bowling Club site may form part of that scheme.
“The decommissioning work included general maintenance to the site, which was necessary to make the area safe for the public as some of the wooden panelling was showing wear-and-tear.
“No imminent plans have been earmarked for the former Brandling Bowling Club. We are still reviewing the suggestions put forward during the public consultation process.”