Uneven floor is no bar to homeless bowlers

Jan 5 2009 by Brian Daniel, The Journal

AN indoor bowls club washed out, then burnt out of its hall has a new home – with an uneven floor. The summer washout forced Shilbottle bowlers to cancel a tournament – even though it was being played inside – because of the leaky roof of the village’s welfare hall.

Days after we revealed the club’s plight, their hall was ravaged by fire, leaving them with no home.

Now they have a new temporary venue to carry on playing, with just one snag – the floor is not quite flat.

But club members told The Journal they were delighted when Shilbottle Working Men’s Club stepped in and offered to host the club’s night meetings.

And they made light of the cant on the floor, which apparently causes bowls to wander towards the bar.

Club secretary Eric Thompson, 79, of The Crescent, said: “It is not exactly level, but we’ll make do and mend. Until we get the new hall, that is all we can do.”

It is believed that September’s fire was caused by an electrical fault.

Shilbottle Parish Council vice-chairman Peter Brown said: “The week before it was those terrible electrical storms we had.

“Whether it was water got in or whether the bad weather forced the mice back in and they chewed through the wires we just do not know. We are waiting for the insurance company to come up and say what they are going to do.”

Even before the hall had burnt down, moves were afoot to replace the ageing facility, with its management committee having begun a £900,000 fundraising drive.

To date £651,000 has been raised, £414,000 of which is from the Big Lottery. The committee has until the end of March to begin building work otherwise it will lose the Big Lottery money.

Coun Brown said: “If we do not get the rest in place, the whole project collapses. We are reasonably confident.

“You never know until the cash is in the bank but we are hopeful. If all the bids come through we would have enough. If the insurance company comes up with a reasonable offer that would help.”

The bowls club was not the only organisation left homeless by the fire.

A children’s group which met every other Saturday morning has had to disband for the time being.

Coun Brown said: “It is difficult, the people that were using the hall have more or less had to suspend operations. There is nowhere in the village to go.”

Without a community hub, Shilbottle’s youths also have nowhere to go and an increase in anti-social behaviour has been recorded.

Police have already upped their patrols in the village as a result.

It is hoped the replacement hall will be up and running by spring 2010.