Attached is the draft Development Strategy that is due to be considered at the BCGBA AGM alongside the £1 a player proposal to fund it.  The table at the end of the draft strategy sets out how the monies will be spent to invest in the sport.  This includes in coaching and equipment that would be purchased to be used by clubs in Lancashire, as well as better publicity and promotion for the sport.

Please see the attached letter about how to renew your annual insurance if you previously used the Endsleigh Club Portal. You may already have had this off the County Secretary but there have been a few email issues. The Policy Documents will be posted soon.

The Lancashire CCGBA AGM will be held on Saturday 25th January at 2pm at Leigh Miners Welfare. Steve Clamp, the BCGBA representative for Area 1 (that covers Lancashire) will be attending to speak, and answer questions about, the changes that have taken place at the BCGBA and their future plans.

If you are interested in attending a Level 1 Coaching Course in 2025 please pass your email and phone details to Ian Gill, Lancashire Development Officer, at lancsbowlsdevelopment@gmail.com. Ian will be back in touch when there are enough people interested.

Please note that half the cost of the course will be funded by the BCGBA and Lancashire CCGBA will fund a quarter of the cost. If you would like to find out more please contact Ian.

Once you have completed (and passed) a Coaching Course you can now apply for a Bursary from Lancashire CCGBA towards 25% (£32.75) of the costs provided that your Club is has its main affiliation to Lancashire.  The Form is available on the this website at Coaching | Lancashire County Crown Green Bowling Association.  The BCGBA will pay 50% of the costs so the course is not as expensive as it seems. Contact the Ian Gill, the County Development Officer for more details.

Could all Safeguarding Officers please check their DBS Certificates and if they are over (or close to) 3 years old, contact Sandie Whitaker to arrange a new DBS check. It is likely that these will be done around January in time for the coming season

The Lancashire C.C.G.B.A. Mixed Pairs will be held on Sunday 28th July at Golborne Parkside B.C. WA3 3HG. 10 a.m. start.

Entry fee £10 per pair, draw made prior to play commencing. To enter ring Graham Royles on 07488266477. Payment by bank transfer to L.C.C.G.B.A. sort code 30-19-56 account number 00809434 quoting your name in the reference field or by cheque to L.C.C.G.B.A. to Mr Keith Andrews, 64 Shrewsbury Rd Bolton BL1 4NN.

The Lancashire County Senior Team will play Derbyshire CCGBA in the Endsleigh County Championship on Sunday 7th July 2024. The home venue is Wigan Subscription Club, Park Crescent West, Wigan WN1 1SA.

Set out below is the feedback just put out from the BCGBA about their latest survey results. Lancashire’s return was the third highest of any County so thank you for your input.

BCGBA BOWLERS SURVEY RESULTS

“The results are in and, as promised, here is a brief overview of the results. In total, we received 2,147 responses, and the locations of the responses can be seen on the first slide.

We fully appreciate that the survey was basic, and had limited responses available for feedback, but that was to enable us to get straight to some basic answers. We wanted to confirm what YOU, the bowler, want the Association to focus on.

The key areas that we need to focus on are clear from the results….and that’s exactly what we are going to make our priority. As previously said, we fully accept that change is needed, and we’re going to bring the Association into a much more modern landscape.

By way of an update, directly from the responses to the survey, we are already reviewing the BCGBA website in preparation for a full redesign concept. By developing this, we can ensure that everything is in one place, and on a much easier to use format, enabling us to cascade information much faster.

Linked into this, we will be using social media much more. As many of you have previously commented, we’ve already started to utilise Facebook posts far more. This allows us to get information directly to lots of our members, on a quick, informal platform with lots of images and videos from around our sport. Going forwards, we’ll continue to develop this whilst also introducing additional platforms.

One of the key messages is also around the development need within our sport – especially with regards to grassroots and junior development. We are currently working on a National Development Strategy that will address many of the needs of Clubs and Counties, and we hope to have this ready in draft form by the County Representative Meeting (National Council) at the start of July.

Thank you for all of your responses to the first BCGBA Bowler Survey. There will be more surveys coming out over the next few weeks, and these ones will be much more specific….with the opportunity to give specific feedback and share ideas. We are committed to develop and grow our sport….and we need your support to help us to achieve this.”