Bowled over – but is it the start of things to come?
Bowlers at St Annes’ iconic Ashton Gardens have welcomed an extra part of the regeneration of the park in the form of a new irrigation system.
Ashton Gardens
funded through the group - and Fylde Borough Council hopes the fund raising wont stop there.
Funding of £10,000 from the Awards for All, Lottery fund was granted last year to provide a new system for one of the bowling greens to ensure the green remains in top class condition throughout the summer months.
Extra cash was then found so that both the greens could be fitted with the automatic system which has sprinklers under the ground that rise automatically and water the ground on a timer.
Councillor Susan Fazackerley, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: “This is excellent news for the bowlers and well deserved. They worked hard for the Gardens by accessing the funding which the Council could use to make the improvements they wanted to secure the future of the bowling greens. This will result in the saving of hours of labour for park maintenance staff which means that these employees can now be directed to other duties. There’s always a great deal of work, particularly at this time of year, for our parks staff.”
Kath Block and Sue Cannon of Ashton Gardens Bowling and Social Club, said:”We are delighted with Fylde Borough Council for adding the extra money to cover both Ashton Gardens greens.
“It means Ashton Gardens can now offer the local community consistent bowling conditions on top class greens. These will be available to local people, clubs, and the many visiting parties we receive from outside the area throughout the season. Also for the numerous competitions held at The Gardens during the summer months, many of which are fund raising events for Charity where we have lots of competitors and spectators whom also enjoy the sport. We hope that, with this excellent facility, we can encourage new membership, both older and younger people alike, to come along and have tuition in the skills of Crown Green bowling, which is a great social activity as well as a means of keeping fit and healthy.”
Now Council chiefs hope the other bowling groups around the Fylde will follow the example and start looking in to funding for their own clubs and facilities.
Cllr Fazackerley continues: “The Council does not have a bottomless pit of money and, like the ‘Friends Groups,’ clubs have access to funding that can contribute to improvements to their facilities. In Ashton Gardens there are three bowling groups who all want changes, including a new bowling pavilion. If they access the funding we can, and will, start talks with them to ensure we deliver the best possible facilities for them. This is true of all sporting groups around the borough.”
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