MEMBERS of a bowls club in Basingstoke have been celebrating following the completion of works to bring the clubhouse up to scratch.

Howard Park Bowls Club has been based in St Andrew's Road since 1969, and currently has around 80 members.

The club began works at the beginning of January to relocate the women's changing rooms and toilets to utilise the interior space of the clubhouse better, and extend the size for games of indoor bowls through the winter.

The works also included relocating the men's changing room facilities, with the ladies' toilets also being upgraded thanks to a grant of £500 from Four Lanes Trust.

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Basingstoke Gazette: A bowls match getting underway on Thursday, March 14A bowls match getting underway on Thursday, March 14 (Image: Mark Paine)

The project is now completed to the delight of club members, who have been utilising the new spaces as the indoor bowls season draws to a close, ahead of the outdoor season starting this April.

The clubhouse is not just used by Howard Park Bowls Club, but also numerous groups throughout the week which are all thrilled with the added space and new facilities.

The Pink Place, a cancer charity, has been using the clubhouse to host weekly meetings for the group every Wednesday. Basingstoke Speakers Club also host an event at the clubhouse on the first and third Thursday of each month, with The Mr Smith Band also using the clubhouse for regular rehearsals.

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Ladies secretary, Lyn Dean Smith, said: "The builders left around the middle of February, and since club members have really chipped in, helped with the finishings and painting, and safe to say we are thrilled with the end result.

"It allows us to have more room inside for the indoor season, the new facilities are lovely and the other groups that use the club are over the moon with the works.

"We're really pleased with how its all turned out. That said, we are very much looking forward to the outdoor season too!"

Howard Park Bowls Club are holding a number of open days throughout 2024, with the closest dates on Sunday, April 28, Friday May 24 and Saturday, May 25. 

More information on Howard Park Bowls Club, including its open days, can be found at howardparkbowls.co.uk.