Member of the Month – Nairn Bowling Club

This month’s blog sees us meeting with our member the Nairn Bowling Club.
We met with Bob Ferenth, club president, to find out what’s been going on behind the scenes and what’s new.

Celebrating its 142^nd birthday this year and continues to provide lawn bowling facilities to the Nairn community. Nairn Bowling Club is located on Albert Street and welcomes visitors and newcomers along with its current members. The club currently has 90 members but continues to grow and actively looks to increase its membership. The club is much more than a bowling club, with social events throughout the year. It also provides facilities for other community groups and clubs in the closed season.

Covid 19 hit many groups hard, but the Nairn Bowling Club managed to serve its members in many ways. In the early days of Covid, during the first lockdown, the priority was to look after its members, keep them safe and ensure anyone who needed a hand, got it. Checking in with people and collecting shopping for those who are vulnerable were ways the bowling club banded together to look after each other in unprecedented times. As the pandemic progressed and rules and restrictions changed the club ensured they adhered to the safety guidance given out by Bowl Scotland which allowed them to hold 3 club competitions in 2020, although there were no inter-club competitions, no spectators, no visitors, and the clubhouse had to remain closed. This too provided an opportunity to continue modernising the clubhouse and making upgrades, as part of its 5-year plan. Solar panels were installed making the clubhouse more sustainable and helps reduce the annual spend on utilities.
By 2021 all club competitions were on, and additional events were held at the clubhouse to ensure people were getting out and about and seeing others. Wednesday afternoons became a get together afternoon.
During the pandemic the club were awarded the Silver Bowls Mark accreditation and are the only club in Scotland to be awarded this accolade. The award is a huge feather in the Nairn Bowling Club’s cap as it shows their dedication to the sport and its members.

In 2021 the club had 7 coaches trained with 2 progressing to the next level and 2 umpires in training. These coaches provide taster sessions for anyone wanting to try bowling on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 2pm. All you need is a pair of flat soled shoes and the club provide everything else. The Nairn Bowling Club is welcoming and friendly, and always looking for new members of all ages and proficiencies. It’s a sport for anyone to try and combines outdoor exercise with a calm and friendly atmosphere. If you are interested in taking up bowls or trying a taster session, please contact: nairnbowlingclub@gmail.com or visit them at the clubhouse on Albert Street.