HURST BOWLING Club will be getting a new clubhouse after plans were approved last week.
The 45-person club wants to expand its facilities to accommodate its current membership and visiting teams from Harwell, Henley, Stanwell and Farnborough.
A spokesperson for the club said the clubhouse is in a poor state of repair, and that members have been making small improvements to slow the rate of decay.
They said the timber structure is filled with dry and wet rot, and that the lack of heating means the building becomes wet and mouldy in the winter.
The club has no hot water and uses hot urns when hosting visitors and making tea.
They said: “During the bowling season, we host visiting clubs and need to seat up to 36 people for refreshments; even passing around hot drinks in cramped conditions is hazardous.
“The building is not large enough for us to hold our AGM or our pre-season meeting. It is unsuitable for any club activities during the winter, or to allow any other community group to use it.”
They said the toilets also have no hot water, disabled access or facility and there is no space to add a ramp, handrail or grab rails.
This, they said, poses a problem to some of the older club members.
Now the building and toilet block will be knocked down and a newer, larger one built.
The club’s spokesperson said they hope the renovation will protect the future of their green and the future of the ancient sport of bowls.
The club believes bowls keep older people mobile and engaged with their community.
In 2014, they set up their Thursday Club with The Link Visiting Scheme, charity members are invited to visit the club and try some bowling.
They said: “The activity helps to forge friendships, ward off depression and loneliness. We want to extend and improve the accommodation so that it is wheelchair friendly and can cope with walking frames.”
