NEWSLETTER MARCH 2026

GREEN OPENING

The news we’ve all been waiting for !

The opening of the Green on Saturday 21st March at 1pm

This is a social occasion for all members to come and see the great work that has been carried out to the green and on the grounds over the closed season by our Green Manager & team, and our volunteer maintenance group.

The President has the honour of bowling the first wood of the year and this will be followed by an informal bowling event with tea, coffee, and cakes.

BOWLING GREEN FEMALE/MALE TOILET UPGRADE

The Bowling Club has been presented with a great opportunity following a grant application to Sport England to internally upgrade the current constructed breezeblock female/male toilets.

The total cost of upgrading both facilities is £7500 with Sport England agreeing to provide £3750 on condition that the balance (£3750) is raised by crowd funding.

There needs to be a minimum of 25 separate pledges of funds to meet the award condition. To achieve the target within the timescale (8 weeks) the Bowls Committee are looking for a minimum of 25 members to pay their annual subscriptions (£90) plus any personal donation via the Crowdfunder link below.  The more members that pay this way the quicker the target will be reached. On the assumption we hit the target by end of April, the upgrading work would commence in late May/June.  Members can still pay their subscriptions in the usual way if they prefer (£90), without going through the Crowdfunding process, via cheque or bank transfer……see below.  Donations can also be made this way but please put your name as reference.

The Crowdfunder page for the Ainsdale Bowling Club project is now live which means that pledges can now be made towards the project cost of £7500 via this link:    https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/project-comfort-2

Individuals/organisations can make repeat pledges, but they will only be counted as one pledge. You will be able to follow the progress of the project on the Crowdfunder page.

It is suggested that this link is shared with family, friends and organisations in the community to support the fundraising cause to achieve the total target as soon as possible.

There is also an option to give a tip when pledging which will be a personal choice. In order not to tip, where it states ‘Enter custom amount’ click on, a new screen will appear, enter 0, then continue which will take you back to the pledge page and enter your amount.

If anyone has any queries/issues, please get in touch and I will endeavour to help.  Trevor Dyson (Treasurer)  Mobile: 07977 275197

SUBSCRIPTIONS PLEASE SEE ABOVE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Fees remain at £90 for playing members and £20 for social/non-playing members.  All subs are now due and must be paid by 30th April at the very latest.  Payment by bank transfer is preferred and please include your name as a Reference:

AINSDALE BOWLING CLUB

Sort Code   40-42-30

Account number  11432222

Cheques should be made out to ‘Ainsdale Bowling Club’ and either posted or delivered to our Treasurer, Trevor Dyson 18 Pinfold Lane, Ainsdale, PR8 3QH

BOWLING LEAGUES

Fixture dates have been set by most leagues and are available on their websites and also in our website ‘Calendar’ which also includes all social events, competitions, maintenance dates etc so that you can check Green availability remotely from wherever you through the year.  The clubhouse paper ‘Diary’ will reflect the same information but please do NOT make any additional entries to this paper diary unless you have checked first with the Green Manager, Haydn Preece, via Text on 07768 000818 or WhatsApp

He and the Club Secretary will liaise closely to ensure up to date and correct information is available across the website and in the clubhouse diary.

COACHING

Sessions for beginners are again being run by our coaching team with a 4-week one-hour course starting at 10am on Saturday 28th March and ending on Saturday 18th April.  Posters have been put up in the village and on social media sites but please flag up this course with family, friends, and colleagues as word of mouth is currently our most effective way of promoting our club.   Remind them to wear trainers or other flat-soled shoes. The cost remains at £4 per visit and all equipment is provided.  Interested people should contact Sanny McCarter on 01704 576211 for further information or to book.

A short improver course is planned for early May: further details to follow.

COMPETITIONS

A series of club competitions will be held throughout the season and include ladies, gents, and mixed events.  The first club competition is the Easter Cup singles trophy (21-up with handicaps applied) on Sunday 12th April at 10am.  Please sign up for all competitions on the clubhouse competition board when advertised.

This season, there will be two Merit competitions ie no handicap applied: the Ladies Tennant Trophy (21-up) and the newly-named Eddie Tennant Merit Trophy (31-up) for Men.  Players prefer single-day competitions but, depending on numbers of players showing interest, the 31-up may need to be run over the season culminating in the semi-finals and final being held on Saturday 13th June: further details to follow.

SOUTHPORT CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS EVENT

The club has the honour of hosting this event on Saturday 25th April at 10am.  Thirty-two aggregate champions from a variety of local leagues have been invited to compete, including a number of our own club players.  There will be an organised bar at our clubhouse. Club funds will be boosted by a BBQ, and a range of sandwiches & cakes etc served throughout the day with hot & cold drinks etc..

We will be running a raffle on the day and are seeking donations to raise extra funds.  Please leave donations in the clubhouse or contact Haydn Preece 07768000818 to pick up.  Please come to spectate and support your club at the same time.

MIXED DAY OUT

This has been provisionally booked at Longton Bowling Club for Saturday 8th August: further details to follow.

CALENDAR

Do please try and support as many of these forthcoming events as you possibly can: your Club needs you.

Author: Simon Biddolph

Date: 3rd March 2026