The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
DIY bowlers’ building to open
Agroup of Perth bowlers have spent the last few weeks building themselves a brand new clubhouse.
Members of the North Inch Bowling Club have all pitched in to build a new multi-purpose building on the grass outside their existing clubhouse next to Bell’s Sports Centre, costing £85,000.
Weather permitting, the club hopes to have the new building up and running and welcoming people in by the end of the month.
James Kelly, secretary, said: “We decided a number of years ago our clubhouse was not big enough for the 200 people who use it.
“We have 130 members, and the visually-impaired bowlers, the lady golfers from the North Inch Golf Club and the pétanque players all use the clubhouse, too.
“The clubhouse is too small for our needs, and it has taken five years for us to get to this stage.”
He said the group had been grateful to secure £10,000 from the National Lottery and £1,000 from the Robertson Trust, while the rest of the money had been donated by members and the public through the GoFundMe website.
“About a dozen of us have been working on it, we are all giving our time for free,” he said.
“We are building all of this ourselves by hand – we are the ones building the walls, putting in the insulation and gluing down the flooring.
“We bring in specialists when needed, for example to install the gas heating, otherwise it is all our members doing the work.”
Once completed, the club hopes others will be able to use the space as well.
Mr Kelly added: “We have had inquiries from other groups such as flower arranging, formal dancing classes, country dancing classes and a yoga group who have all walked past and are desperate to use the place, too.
“We also have a number of assisted-living young adults who come down with their carers, and they are desperate to use the place as well.
“This building is not just for outdoor lawn bowling, we want to have as many varied activities as possible.”
He said Scottish Bowling was lobbying the Scottish Government to allow enthusiasts to play outside again in small groups, and members hoped to be back on the green by the end of March.