On the hottest day of the year so far - taking in lots of liquids - one team emerged as the clear winners.

​Congratulations and well played to Steve, Julie and Goff.

Here are a few photos taken following the M Holbrow Plate Competition on Friday evening 16th July.
 
The defending holders Barry and John were unable to retain the Plate and Julia and Goff are the new holders.

The photos show the competition entrants, the presentation from our Chairman Paul to winners Julia and Goff, Julia and Goff with the trophy and worthy runners-up Paul and Trish.

https://www.bowlsengland.com/get-yourselves-ready-bowls-is-back/

Step 1 From 29th March Triples and Fours can play on alternate rinks with a maximum of 24 on the green at one time.

Future plan (confirmation expected one week previous to step):

Step 2 From 12th April - Changing rooms can open and travel restrictions eased

Step 3 From 17th May - Larger groups able to gather at clubs and inside catering permitted with restrictions.

Step 4 From 21st June - All restrictions expect to be lifted.

As you will be aware, this is a national initiative offering Bowls England affiliated clubs the opportunity to promote our welcoming and socially-distanced sport and attract new members.
We know that 20% of new bowlers join our sport on the back of open weekends, that our clubs want support to help recruit new players and that there are plenty of people out there who would love to have a go at bowls.  We will be waiving 2021 affiliation fees for any brand new bowler joining a club on the back of the National Open Weekend.
Affiliated clubs who sign up will be able to access FREE resources, including bowls-specific workshops to help run a great event and grow your club. In addition, publicity material and creative resources for social media channels, websites and within your local community will be made available. It will be supported by a national marketing campaign to help raise awareness of the events across the country, and some clubs will get a visit from an England Commonwealth Games Squad bowler.
More information and registration details will be coming out very soon.
We hope this helps update you on the current position.  The summer will feel a little different, as so much of life has done in recent times, but our overriding feeling is of positivity that our season will be able to start on time, that bowlers at all levels will be playing and that we will see new bowlers on our greens this summer.  We thank you in advance for appreciating what we are trying to achieve and we hope we can all work together to make this a memorable season for all the right reasons.
Finally, just to reiterate, please be patient with us and your county in terms of receiving more detailed information.  We want to provide this as soon as possible but government approvals have to be sought and work has to be done.

Here is the link:
www.bowlsengland.com/bowls-big-weekend-to-showcase-sport-for-all/

Best wishes,
 Matt Wordingham
Content Officer
​Bowls England

We are committed to ensuring our sport is diverse and inclusive, to enable everyone to have the opportunity to achieve their potential and for all players feel welcome irrespective of their background or circumstances. Bowls England, the English Indoor Bowling Association, British Crown Green Bowling Association and Disability Bowls England are working in collaboration with the Bowls Development Alliance on a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.
Despite its uncomplicated nature, we understand that there are too many practical and perceived barriers to getting involved in our sport. We must be truly accessible to new players and tackle deep-rooted inequality in sports activity if we are to grow the numbers of new people engaging with our sport and the diversity of our participant base.  We believe a diverse and inclusive sport promotes and sustains a sense of belonging, and we value and respect the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living amongst our volunteers and participants.
Bowls is one sport, and we are committed to becoming more diverse and inclusive with a collaborative approach across our codes.  By setting up a new Inclusion Advisory Group to support and guide us in the roll out of our future strategy, we hope to accelerate our work in this area and benefit from expertise that will educate us and shape our thinking.
Bowls Inclusion Advisory Group – Role Description
Bowls Inclusion Advisory Group – Terms of Reference
To apply to be part of our Inclusion Group please email a CV to Jobs@playbowls.org and include a covering letter outlining the reasons for your interest in this position and any supporting skills and experience. For more information on the role in advance please contact lisa@playbowls.org.
All applications should be submitted by 12 noon on Tuesday 6th April. If interviews are required, these will take place over the phone or on Microsoft Teams at a convenient date.
 
Matt Wordingham

Content Officer
Bowls England

The British Isles Bowls Council (BIBC) and British Isles Women’s Bowls Council (BIWBC) have today announced the cancellation of all events for the 2021 season. The decision reflects the challenges related to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and has been made to enable more grassroots bowlers to enjoy the sport this summer.
Whilst we remain positive that people will be out on the greens this summer, the international series and championships necessitate an extra level of logistical planning and delivery for players, spectators and officials. Given these extra considerations, particularly around international travel and the varying restrictions across Britain expected to continue for months, it was not viable to continue without damaging the integrity of the events.
All nations agreed that the early decision was important to provide clarity to players and spectators, give every nation the opportunity to make the most of their domestic calendar and provide much-needed support to clubs.
No decision has been taken on British Isles events for 2022 as this will form part of a wider review taking into account a number of considerations including the Commonwealth Games taking place at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa.
Bowls England statement: “It was with a heavy heart that we supported the decision to cancel all of these events, however it is undoubtedly the right one. The concerns over travel and accommodation for large numbers of people made this decision inevitable.
“Domestically we remain confident that, thanks to the rollout of the vaccine and our experience from last season of bowling taking place in a Covid-friendly manner, people will be out playing in England at an early date. We are still planning for a full competitive season including national competitions and national championships, however we are working on a number of contingencies should there be a need to delay the start date. The cancellation of the British Isles events will provide opportunity for more flexibility in the calendar should the need arise.
“We also recognise that it is important for us to provide opportunities for new people to try our sport and enjoy its many physical and social benefits, and we are continuing work on our first-ever National Open Weekend from Friday 28th to Monday 31st May. We were one of the first sports to ‘open’ in 2020 and we will be working with clubs to help people get back to bowls and welcome newcomers into our sport.”
Notes:
The members of the BIBC are: Bowls England; Irish Bowling Association; Bowls Guernsey; Bowls Jersey; Bowls Scotland; Welsh Bowling Association
The members of the BIWBC are: Bowls England; Irish Women’s Bowling Association; Bowls Jersey; Bowls Scotland; Welsh Women’s Bowling Association
---
Matt Wordingham

Content Officer
Bowls England

To GBA Club Secretaries, GBA WD Delegates and all GBA Officers and Officials
                                                                                       [to be hopefully passed on to all GBA members]
 
Dear Colleagues,
 
I’d like very much to convey my own and the GBA Joint Executive’s warmest greetings to you for 2021.  We all share, I know, a hope that this coming year will see a return to something much more akin to ‘normal’ for our great sport, within Gloucestershire and beyond.  
 
The portents are good, particularly with the beginnings of mass Covid-19 vaccination, which many of the bowling community should be able to access within the next few months.  We must obviously keep our fingers crossed that the actual production of the vaccines can keep pace with demands and that the process in the UK can likewise cope.  It would be so good to be able to get back in the Spring into the social hubs that are our clubs, beginning to meet and to play bowls reasonably normally, plus be able to resurrect the competitive aspects of our sport, which lay dormant through 2020.
 
The sole benefit from 2020 was the time that our National Governing Body, Bowls England – alongside doing all that it could to keep us actually playing outdoor bowls, albeit at a fairly muted level -  was able to devote much time to looking at the future of the sport in England.  Many of you will have been able to contribute to the wide-ranging club and individual surveys that were undertaken in Autumn 2020, or maybe take part in the ‘focus groups’ that are still under way.  Along with other consultations at the county level, these fed into the developing strategy for the future that is now beginning to emerge.  Though some of the results of the surveys and the plans for the future have been made generally known (have a look through the News pages of the BE Web site https://www.bowlsengland.com/news-items/ ) - always a good source of up-to-date information - the audio-visual presentation at the BE (Zoom) ‘Counties Meeting’ in late November is a good summary and – though it was not intended for widespread circulation - I would be happy to provide this to anyone who has the interest to view the plans as they presently exist *.
 
Some of you too will have been following the new Bowls England channel on YouTube.  There are some really interesting Podcasts by key individuals and very useful Webinars and guidance on a variety of topics (such as : Social Media use; Data Protection; improving your club’s communication; funding sources).  All of these at:  https://www.youtube.com/c/BowlsEnglandTV/videos
 
The Joint Executive Committee has been trying to second-guess what 2021 might hold for us in various ways.  Generally agreed that, though the GBA should approach 2021 optimistically, the likelihood of ‘normal’ play remains uncertain.  We will necessarily plan, as an Association, on the basis that everything will happen as usual, including getting on with the production of our publications.  Everything depends on halting the progress of Covid-19 and on associated government regulations, despite hopes about the vaccine.   BE would be issuing guidance at some point, but it was felt by the JEC that they (BE) should not make decisions for the whole season, and particularly in relation to competitions, too early or too quickly *. 
 
In a disconcerting 2020  - for me personally – when I didn’t actually play at all, the one really bright spark was the beginnings of the Gloucestershire Youth Academy,  with ‘Taster Days’ on 30th August and 20th September.  In case you haven’t looked at the many photos on the ‘News’ page on the Web Portal yet [ http://gloucestershirebowls.org.uk/page29.html ] you can see there the 17 youngsters involved and appreciate the enthusiasm that came out of those two days and - not least – the vital support from parents and some grandparents.  On the basis of all these factors, the JEC has agreed that the Academy will be set up and funded, with an ongoing programme for 2021.   Further information on the way forward will in due course be found in our 2021 handbooks, in a statement from David Rolls, our County Coaching Supervisor.  If, in some way, you have any young players in your clubs that we don’t already know about, please get in contact with myself or with David Rolls.
 
In conclusion again, a Very Happy New Year to all bowlers in Gloucestershire.
 
Best wishes,

Mrs Lindsay Collin.   GBA Administrator

BIRMINGHAM 2022

Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa will feature the largest lawn bowls line-up in Commonwealth Games history following the announcement of the medal event programme for Birmingham 2022.
 
The Games will make global sporting history by becoming the first ever major multi-sport event to award more medals to women than men. There will be an equal number of male and female medallists in Lawn Bowls, a sport proud of its intrinsic accessibility. 
 
The medal event programme, published today, confirms there will be 136 medal events for women and 134 for men with a total of 11 lawn bowls medal events – singles, pairs, triples, fours and para pairs for both genders plus a visually impaired mixed pairs.  In total 78 medals will be presented across the Lawn Bowls disciplines, 39 to both men and women.
 
It is hoped the changes made to the Para Lawn Bowls competition will inspire more women with disabilities give the sport a go, one of many ambitions to leverage Birmingham 2022 to get more people playing bowls.
 
England’s Natalie Chestney, who won the women’s singles gold medal at Delhi in 2010 and is bidding for success in 2022 with Team England, said: “I’m proud that Birmingham 2022 provides women’s sport such a huge platform. The Lawn Bowls programme in particular shows just how inclusive and accessible our sport is, and our ambition is to inspire current and future participants to follow in our footsteps.”
 
The Lawn Bowls events will run for nine consecutive days at Victoria Park from Friday 29th July to Saturday 6th August inclusive.
 
Ian Reid, CEO of Birmingham 2022, said: “Our event programme has been specifically designed to reach new audiences and champion the growth of women’s sport. I am certain that fans will come in their droves to cheer on the most diverse range of events ever held at a Commonwealth Games, showcasing more female and para athletes than ever before.”
 
The Birmingham 2022 medals milestone is being marked today (Wednesday 21st October) with a day of special talks entitled “It’s Our Time”, broadcast on the Birmingham 2022 Facebook and LinkedIn pages featuring past, present and future stars of British sport. Across the day, they will discuss the role of women’s sport in striving for equality, what Birmingham 2022 is doing to advance the profile of women’s and para sport, and what still needs to be done to ensure equal representation in the industry.
 
Head to Birmingham 2022’s Facebook page to tune in
 
Sign up to our e-newsletter to be one of the first to hear about tickets and volunteering opportunities for Birmingham 2022.
 

On a great day to play bowls we had the final of the Covid Plate competition. The teams were Bunny and Goff versus Julia and Julie.

Although Bunny & Goff had a great start the ladies put up a valiant effort and started to pull them back until a couple of strong ends from the lads saw them race away to an impressive finish. Well done to all the players for giving us socially distanced spectators a great afternoon.