Rising costs are threatening the existence of long-established lawn bowls clubs in Swansea, according to members. Representatives of two clubs and the secretary of a bowling association said it was hard to see how the situation - compounded by dwindling membership - could carry on.
Dyfatty and Victoria Saints bowls clubs used to share their greens with other clubs which saved money because maintenance costs levied by Swansea Council were split. But now they are on their own and pay an annual charge of some £4,500 to the council compared, they said, to around £2,500 two years ago. The council said it had it been at pains to keep maintenance fees down but that this had not been possible in the last two years due to inflation.
Dyfatty Bowls Club stalwart Ken Thomas described the situation as "heart-breaking". He said: "We are trying everything to keep the club going. We are not prepared to let it die."
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The Dyfatty club is tucked away at the end of Croft Street and feels like an oasis in one of Swansea's most built-up areas. The green is fringed by trees, behind which rise blocks of council flats on three sides. Mr Thomas grew up in the area and recalled kicking a tin around with his pals and being shown the game of bowls by members of the club, which formed in 1909. It sparked a lifelong enthusiasm for the boy who has now been the club secretary for more than 50 years.
He said: "It kept us out of mischief, and we were involved in the community." He added that most of the current 24 or 25 members no longer lived in Dyfatty but were still invested in the area by virtue of their regular presence at the club. Now 85, Mr Thomas is no longer kicking tins around but doesn't want to be twiddling his thumbs. "We are elderly and we want to be active," he said. "We don't want to be sitting around in wheelchairs."
The former railway worker, along with club treasurer Rowland Williams, has just delivered 1,000 leaflets in Dyfatty encouraging people to come along and give bowls a try. He has also asked his bank manager at HSBC to consider contributing to the club as a good cause. Asked what he liked about bowls, Mr Thomas, of Tycoch, said: "It's truly amateur, and I love the company of the people."
The green and pavilion at Croft Street was home to three bowls clubs but now it's just one - and membership has halved. Treasurer Mr Williams said the club had secured £2,500 last year from councillors who serve the Castle ward, which had helped a lot, but that it was now a case of "beg and borrow". "We normally scrape together £1,500 a year in subscriptions and match fees from members," said Mr Williams. "We have got a little bit of reserves and we are dipping into that. It will be difficult this season but we will get through it."
But longer term he and Mr Thomas feared that the game could be up. "Everybody is in the same predicament," said Mr Thomas, whose sons Robin and Kevin both play at Dyfatty. Robin said the club helped people with mental well-being and other challenges, and that Pontrhydyfen Bowls Club from neighbouring Neath Port Talbot had recently commented on how good the green was.
Asked if Dyfatty Bowls Club might look into the possibility of taking over the management of the green via an asset transfer from the council, Robin said: "Most of our members are aged 60 to 80 - they wouldn't want the responsibility and the legal complexities that go with it."
Huw Richards, secretary of the City and County of Swansea Bowling Association, said Swansea has 21 bowls clubs, 13 greens and a competitive set-up of two divisions - down from 32 clubs and three divisions a few years previously. He said three clubs maintained their greens and that a fourth was privately-run. Mr Richards said there was a lack of young people coming into the game but felt rising charges were a pressing issue. He claimed the maintenance fee for this year could have been around £5,500 had the council not agreed to withhold VAT. He added: "It's such a critical situation in Swansea. I can't see bowls surviving more than 10 years. That would be a disaster for the well-being of the elderly."
Rowland Thomas, of Victoria Saints Bowls Club, St Helen's, said it used to pay a nominal maintenance fee to the council and that members had expected this to rise, but not to the extent that it had. "Six or seven years we charged members £25 to £30 a season, now it's £200," he said. Mr Thomas said at one point six clubs played at two greens at Victoria Park, St Helen's, but now it was just one club - with 20 members - on one green. "We have got a 10-year-old and 17-year-old who play, but not enough young people are coming into the game," he said. "Costs are a huge factor, and young people generally see to be more interested in looking at their phone than playing sport. I'm not hopeful for the future."
The council said fees had gone up 5% this season to £4,485.25 per green, and that no VAT was charged. Maintenance includes mowing, rolling, scarifying, fertilising, applying fungicide and autumn renovation. It said three greens - Primrose Park, Hafod Park, Morriston Park - were currently out of action following the wet winter and spring but efforts were being made to get them back in play.
"The council has always done everything it can to keep maintenance fees for bowls greens as low as possible," said a council spokesman. "Because of the cost of living crisis and increases in utilities, it has been necessary in the last two seasons to raise fees in line with inflation and to meet the costs to the council. Importantly, fees are still considerably less than those charged in neighbouring local authorities.
"We are continuing to work with individual bowls clubs and with Swansea Bowling Association to discuss options for future maintenance, which includes clubs taking over responsibility for their own maintenance or using a private contractor. We are also offering free training to some club members so they can take on specific green care duties."
