Bowled Over! Strathpeffer Indoor Bowling Club
Strathpeffer Indoor Bowling Club meets in the local Community Centre for weekly sessions over the winter months. It complements the activities of the outdoor bowling club which operates in the summertime. Members pay an annual subscription and a small weekly charge which covers the hall hire.
The Club is not competitive but provides an opportunity to socialise and get some exercise over the winter months.
When first established in 2000, the club acquired second hand mats from another bowling club. The mats were not of a very high quality and of course deteriorated over time. This impacts on the quality of the playing surface and therefore the enjoyment of the game so new mats were needed.
The club researched a range of specialist suppliers and identified a suitable replacement. The mats are nine feet by 45 feet and come fully marked out for the game of bowls to be played. The best deal to replace both mats was £3,498.
The award was made by the Corriemoillie Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund panel on that basis as it was felt that, although the club is quite small it does provide a valuable and sociable activity, particularly for older residents during the winter months, helping to keep people active.
There was a delay in purchasing the mats as there was potential for second hand mats to be acquired. These turned out not to be suitable and in the interim, the price of the mats, like everything else, had increased by £1,614.
Due to other demands on the community fund, the panel encouraged the group to look elsewhere, with the original award as a lever for match funding from other sources, and extended the timescale for the award. In fact, the Foundation Scotland Fund Adviser made enquiries within Foundation Scotland about potential support from other funding programmes and was able to help the group secure the balance from another programme.
The group was very appreciative and look forward to at least another ten years of happy bowling.