A CALL for bowling enthusiasts to be catered for when a flagship £20m leisure and community centre is built in a Northumberland town has been strongly supported by the local MP.
The Journal revealed last week how more than 600 people have signed a petition in support of a bowling green being provided as part of the new centre planned for Ashington. The bowlers – many of them elderly people who use the sport as a means of regular social interaction – have voiced fears that they could be left out when the complex is built.
Yesterday Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, who helped organise the petition to the county council, said he was “100% behind the bowlers” and their aims.
Two town centre sites have been shortlisted as the location for the new facility, to replace the ageing Ashington leisure centre in Institute Road. As well as a swimming pool, gym and other sports and leisure activities, it is planning to incorporate a new library, council information point, cafe, doctor’s surgery and pharmacy.
A consultation is being carried out to get public feedback on what it should include, and whether it should be built at the town’s old hospital site or the former Asda supermarket land.
Yesterday Mr Lavery said: “I have been to meet the leisure centre bowlers, many of whom are elderly people who enjoy socialising with each other through bowls. They are a lovely bunch of people and I have given them a commitment that I will support them.
