Grantown bowlers being asked to make decision on saving the club
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Members of a Strathspey bowling club will be faced with a choice of survival or closure when they attend an emergency meeting next week.
A range of unresolved issues have left the committee of Grantown Outdoor Bowling Club with serious doubts as to whether the club will be able to continue.
A report issued to members reads ahead of the Emergency General Meeting reads: "The impact of the Covid pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives and has also meant that the past two years have been an especially difficult period for the club.
"Other more recent developments now mean that a decision has to be made by the membership on whether the club is able to survive – or not.
The club has seen membership numbers drop considerably since the beginning of the pandemic, reduced from 29 to 19.
The committee noted: "Unless this number can be significantly increased then it is likely to prove difficult to organise little more than 'casual bowling' in the new season.
"With the average age of the membership currently standing at 75 years, there is an urgent need to attract younger members."
The club is also appealing to members to take up key roles at the club, with the recent resignation of their president noted as 'a big loss' to the club.
The current condition of the club greens and the cost to carry out repairs is also a concern for the committee.
With repairs estimated at £2000, the need for effective fundraising was also stated.
In the absence of normal fundraising opportunities during the pandemic, the club have had to rely on members' subscriptions and other emergency grants to keep going.
The report estimated that unless there is a large increase in the membership, the subscription rate would have to at least double to ensure expenditure targets could be met.
Closing remarks in the report re-iterated the importance of the decision facing its members.
"The club has a long and and valued history, and none of us want to see this end.
"However, any judgment needs to be based on the reality of the situation in which we currently find ourselves.
"Members are asked to carefully consider the content – and decide whether they are prepared to make the firm commitment needed if the club is to survive."
Following the cancellation of their EGM in February, the committee has rescheduled the meeting for this Wednesday (March 9) at 7.30pm at their clubhouse.
They are urging anyone who can help support the club or interested in playing to get in touch with them.
