Lillington Bowls Club is one of the hundreds of clubs that have seen the benefits in taking part in Bowls’ Big Weekend each year, since its induction in 2021.
Bowls’ Big Weekend is Bowls England’s national event, from Friday 24th – Monday 27th May, to open doors to the sport for free, right across the country, with thousands of players trying the game for the very first time, or returning to clubs after time away.
John Buggins of Lillington Bowls Club (Warwickshire) explains why it has been a success for them;
“Lillington Bowls Club has registered its entry for the 2024 Bowls’ Big Weekend and we look forward to another successful event taking place on Sunday 26th May.
Our experience of the inaugural year was particularly exciting for our club as we were selected to be visited by our local radio station, followed later in the day by the local BBC Sports Editor and camera crew to review our event which was highlighted on that evenings BBC Midlands Today – a wonderful opportunity to publicise our club and spread the word about the joy of bowls.
We have since seen the growth of the event by Bowls England, publicising participating club activities through its expanding network of social media platforms, linking in with the pre-event booking system enabling our club to better manage its green space and its’ voluntary support team. We share the continuing national objective of encouraging as many people as possible of all ages and abilities to try their hand at bowls.
The efforts of Bowls England and its associated platforms has complimented our own website and local advertising, which together last year resulted in our best attendance figures so far; out of the 70 plus reported visitors from our community, more than a third of them had pre-booked time slots via the Bowls’ Big Weekend platform, a significant achievement over previous years.
We provided a warm welcome, a hopefully new and fun experience on our super green, followed by refreshments and a look around our club. In many, the visit sparked an interest for them to come back again and engage with our weekly coaching sessions to see how they might progress into the sport and become a member.
Speaking for our club, over the past three years Bowls’ Big Weekend has contributed significantly to us being able to maintain a satisfactory level of bowling membership, hence viability as a club.“
If you would like to sign up your club to the 2024 Bowls’ Big Weekend, follow the link below: