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Date set for reopening of bowls club and ‘community hub’
The opening date has been set for a new bowls club with plans for a sauna, yoga and alcohol.
A group of local residents are planning to reopen the bowls club in St George Park, creating a new “community hub”.
A licensing hearing at Bristol City Council granted the St George Bowls and Social Club a premises licence, on Thursday allowing them to serve alcohol at the club.
People will have to sign up to become members, or be guests of members, in order to enter the site.
The inside of the clubhouse has been transformed – photo: St George Bowls and Social Club
Tom Paine is one of the local residents setting up the club. He is also the founder and director of Team Love, which runs major events such as Forwards Festival and Love Saves the Day.
Paine denied the bowls club was a “trojan horse” for something similar in St George Park.
Speaking to the hearing, he said: “We’ve been investing a significant amount of time and money into the project to restore the two bowls greens, the top one back into playing condition and the bottom one for an area with some saunas, a cold plunge pool and wellness space.
“Our main aim is to create a community hub and meeting place, and provide a social outdoor activity.
“It’s a community interest company, it’s a social enterprise, and not for shareholder profit.
“Our genuine focus is to reinvest any profits back into the project, and then that in turn benefits the local community.
“We’ve had resident meetings and invited people to the building, we’ve had a lot of feedback and engagement, and our plan is to continue that.”
The club is due to open on June 3 with a cafe and bar, as well as a tent for yoga groups, tai chi and other community groups.
The team doesn’t yet have planning permission for the saunas, but are hoping to shut for a month in the autumn to install them, before reopening.
The licensing application received 31 letters of support from local residents, and six opposing the plans.
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Speaking after the hearing, George Sandilands, who is also part of the group, said he and his wife had their engagement party on the bowls green before the previous club closed down.
The inspiration for reopening the club came from seeing how the sport is huge among young people in Australia, which is different from the connotation of being popular with pensioners over here.
He said: “It’s very much the cool thing to do. People go down, they play bowls, they might have a barbecue or have some drinks, birthday parties, things like that.
“In the UK, bowls has got this stigma around it, being only for an older generation. And I do think that’s changing.”
The initial opening hours will be midday until 8pm, Wednesday to Sunday, before likely opening earlier and later as the club gets established.
Its licence allows alcohol sales until 11pm, although these late opening hours will seldom be used. Alcohol is not allowed to be taken away.
Main photo: Alex Seabrook
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