Bourne Town Bowls Club have been nominated for the Bowls England Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2025
The outstanding work by a group of Bourne Town Bowls Club members to provide local community groups with special educational needs and disabilities has been recognised by Bowls England.
They have selected the club in Coggles Causeway as one of four finalists from a pool of more than 200 nominations for the prestigious Bowls England Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2025.
The winner of the award will be announced at the Bowls England awards night on February 20 at a glitzy dinner in Leicester.
Since 2021, the Bourne club have made a focussed effort on making bowls accessible to everyone, including work with groups within the local community with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The club has been dedicated in its pursuit of improved facilities to enable disabled access to the green, including the purchase of bespoke equipment aimed at enabling all abilities to enjoy bowls.
Equipment such as a 'BowlsRoyce' wheelchair, green friendly walkers, bowls pushers for ease of play if unable to bend, junior bowls which are lighter and easier to handle, various training aids such as targets and hoops and 'soft' bowls that won't cause issues on the green but with a bias like a proper bowls are all available.
The club run weekly sessions for groups from Bourne2Care and the Bourne Willoughby School, with up to 15 people attending each session.
The Willoughby School is a specialist Academy, for pupils aged two to 19 years with a diverse range of highly complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities while Bourne2Care is an organisation working with SEND adults.
Along with light refreshments and an army of volunteers, the sessions have become a permanent fixture on the busy Bourne club calendar, running from April to October, weather permitting.
The impact on the people who attended these sessions is both profound and heartwarming.
Bourne2Care staff have said: "We are so grateful for the Bourne Town club volunteers for their kindness, patience and dedication.
"They have created such a welcoming and inclusive environment for our service users, giving them the opportunity to learn, have fun and feel valued.
"The experience improves their confidence, mobility and social interaction."
Stephen, one of the Bourne2Care service users, said: "I like it, it makes me happy."
The Bourne club volunteers also enjoy the sessions, remarking that they can visibly see the impact they have on the people attending and what a positive experience it is for themselves – proving yet again, that bowls is a sport for all.
Whatever the outcome in February, the Bourne club is extremely proud that the very hard work and dedication of its volunteers has been formally recognised and it helps put the town, and club, on the national stage.