‘It will be the end of us’: Bowls clubs face the prospect of folding after council cuts

Bowls clubs across Caerphilly County Borough are at a real risk of going under after the council announced it plans to axe maintenance services.

The council says it currently spends £300,000 a year on lawn maintenance, which it plans to offer at a cost of £15,000 per club as of April 2025.

A number of clubs have come out and said this could be the tipping point for them, including Machen Bowling Club, who told Caerphilly Observer how devastated they are with this “bombshell” news.

Secretary Lynda Newton continued: “We’re a small club of 52 members with no clubhouse of our own. We already pay £2,000 each year to the Welfare Ground for the use of the pavilion, and fear this withdrawal of council support would devastate us.

“Bowls is the most inclusive sport around with players at our club alone ranging from between eight and 80. We work hard as a club but we feel like this has been thrown on us and won’t allow us the time to build up funds.”

Meanwhile, it has been a bittersweet couple of weeks for Oakdale Bowling Club, who were recently up for sports club of the year at the Caerphilly Sport Awards, but now face the prospect of folding.

Treasurer Peter Carpenter spoke to Caerphilly Observer and said: “The village was given a ‘use it or lose it’ ultimatum a few years ago, so we got together and formed a club.”

While most clubs are decades old, Oakdale Bowling Club is unique in that it was only created just over a year ago. As well as that, most of its members had never played bowls before.

Mr Carpenter continued: “This has come totally out of the blue. We share a pavilion with the rugby team and realistically have no way of raising funds ourselves.

“We have 34 paying members and were praised by the community which is why we were nominated at the sport awards. However, it will be the end of us if these cuts become a reality.

“It would be such a shame because we’re just finding our feet as a group of new bowlers.”

Abercarn Men’s Bowls Club and Islwyn Ladies Bowls Club were also up for the same award, and have expressed their concern over the proposal. It has been described as “way above the financial reserves of most clubs” by Ann Sivapatham, the county secretary of South Wales and Monmouthshire Ladies Bowling Association.

Chris Morgan, council cabinet member for leisure, said grant funding options are available, adding: “While we understand this is a significant change, our bowling greens are heavily subsidised, to an extent that we can no longer continue to provide maintenance to these facilities, free of charge.

“Under the new plan, each club will be given the autonomy to either buy back maintenance services from the council at an annual cost or seek an alternative option.

“While no decisions have yet been made on the future use and management of club pavilions, the council is exploring the possibility of transferring pavilion management through community asset transfer agreements.

“This could offer clubs the opportunity to access additional funding and increase their autonomy over decisions regarding their facilities.”

Secretary of Blackwood Bowls Club, Tim Bennett, has created a petition which has reached more than 600 signatures opposing the cuts ,which in his words lead to the “disappearance of lawn bowls”.

He said: “While the council claims to be working with clubs, their sudden decision and the manner in which it was communicated, does not resonate with their claim.

“The lack of an apparent consultative period of engagement simply adds to the frustration. Many clubs will not be able to sustain this heavy financial burden and will be forced to fold within the next few years.

“The disappearance of lawn bowls will deprive the community of its long-loved sport, strip away the recreational facility from residents, and have adverse effects on local society.”

He added: “We want Caerphilly Borough Council to reconsider this decision, explore alternative funding opportunities, and engage in a true dialogue with the clubs before implementing such drastic measures.

“The costs of maintenance should not be arbitrarily transferred to clubs without a fair discussion.”