Bowls club on lookout for help to support commercial side of team

A SOUTH Wales bowls club is looking for someone to take over the commercial side of the club in a bid to secure its future.

During the pandemic all paid staff at Islwyn Indoor Bowls Club in Pontllanfraith left. The bowls team returned to the club following the lifting of restrictions but the bar and function room have remained closed.

According to a Caerphilly County Borough Council report, the running of the club had become challenging for volunteers – due to the volume of work, small number of volunteers involved, and lack of commercial funding.

Now, the council has approved a procurement process for the management of the facility. Bowls is set to remain the primary focus of the club and will continue to be run by Islwyn Indoor Bowls Committee.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, council leader Sean Morgan said: “It’s a collaboration between the voluntary sector, the council, and hopefully someone from the private sector.

“We can work together to keep facilities up and running, but in a different way.”

The council is hoping the new management will run the club for the next ten years, with the option of extending the contract.

Mark S Williams, corporate director for economy and environment at the council, said: “It’s a crucial facility. There aren’t many indoor bowls facilities like this in Wales.”

Currently, a member of council staff is acting as facility coordinator at the club.

The position is funded by the club and is a temporary measure for an initial six months, while the procurement process is ongoing.