Anchorsholme Bowling Academy
Anchorsholme Bowling Academy is a new venture for our bowling club and celebrated its first anniversary during September 2023.
Our aim is to bring the game of crown green bowling to the general community, and younger people of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre districts.
Crown Green Bowling allows people from all walks of life to enjoy a relaxed sport that has health benefits.
We are keen to work with schools and youth groups to offer an alternative sport that does not require a high level of fitness but can deliver a lot of fun.
Using specialist bowling equipment it makes learning about crown green bowling easier and fun. The equipment is also suitable for people with additional needs.
You can see what is going on with the academy by clicking this link which takes you to our Facebook page.
Click this link to watch a video about the club and bowling.
The academy works with people of all ages to help them either start to learn the game of crown green bowling or improve on their basic technique.
David Lowe became the first academy candidate to complete the beginners course and start playing in local leagues.
The picture shows him receiving his Course Completion Certificate from instructors Rowland Hayward and John Furneval on 04/06/2023. Since then ten new bowlers have passed through the academy and gone on to bowl in league teams.
A great advantage for the academy is, that when the weather is bad we can operate inside the clubhouse.
The academy uses equipment designed to be safe for young and disabled people to use. The Bowls Buddies bowls are made from polyurethane and are light but react in exactly the same way as a standard heavier bowl would. The academy also now has some junior bowls that are authorised for league games and will allow younger people and those adults with smaller or arthritic hands to play with more ease.
The equipment is portable so local organisations can book sessions that can be held at any convenient site such as a school hall, sports hall or scout hut, if getting to Anchorsholme Bowling Club is difficult.
Residents of day centres and care homes that have reasonable mobility can also benefit from the light excercise and health benefits that bowling offers.
We work with Warren Manor Day Care Hub who bring some of their clients with additional needs to the club three times a week where they enjoy an hour’s bowling fun and then have a drink and a chat.
We also work with the charity Together We Can Do who offer various sports for disabled people over 16 years of age. We set up fun bowling aids every Thursday afternoon from 12.30pm until 2.00pm at Blackpool Sports Centre and let the members have fun.
Anchorsholme Bowling and Social Club have five Safeguarding Officers including Rowland Hayward & John Furnevall.
Rowland and John both also have the Level One Bowls Coach qualification, meaning they can officially coach beginners the correct way to start their bowling journey. We also have Alex Weston whom is also a level one coach at a different club but has offered his assistance to the academy.
There are now three more club members starting their journey to become coaches, which means in 2024 we will have six Level One Coaches available to the academy and club.
When starting out in the game be assured we will make it fun whilst you learn.
A small area of green at the rear of the clubhouse is used to begin coaching young people in the game of bowls as well as using it to lay out fun targets.
As students progress they will graduate onto the main green and be instructed how to play the game of crown green bowls.
All ages above seven years of age are welcome to have fun whilst learning the game.
The academy is open every Sunday from 10.00am until 12.00pm. On occasions it will be extended into the afternoon.
If the weather is bad we have the good fortune to be able to operate indoors even if on a smaller scale.
We are pleased to be working with our local Coop store.
On the 8th January 2023 the local Coop store on North Drive presented us with a cheque for £270.00 which was money raised for the academy with their kind help.
Due to the work the academy is carrying out with young and disadvanted people, November 2023 saw the academy nominated by the Coop as one of two local worthwhile causes.
This means, any Coop member that chooses the academy as their cause, will have 1p in the £1.00 donated to us. If you would like to find out more click this link.
For more information regarding the Bowling Academy
Contact: Rowland Hayward 07597 880680 or John Furnevall 07960 112727