Welcome to Willow Bank Bowling Club
Seasons Greetings.
President John Broadley and his directors would like to wish all our friends and visitors a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
New for 2011 - Download Application Form
An application form is now available to download from here. Please see the membership pages for full details.
Winter Events.
Although play on the green stops in winter, the club will continue to remain open to members and visitors. The club traditional uses this period to conduct essential maintenance to the green, gardens and clubhouse. If you have some free time, your efforts to support the various improvements will be gratefully received.
One way of supporting the club is to volunteer to staff the various private functions which run throughout the year. These events are the club's primary means of income during this period. Please contact the club for details.
Invitation to Dowanhill Residents.
Most bowling clubs were located within residential areas and constituted to serve their local communities. Although their primary aim is to provide members with recreational facilities and promote the sport of bowls, they do have an obligation to preserve the open space and maintain the surrounding environment.
Willowbank is fortunate to have two large open grassed areas which we want to utilize to the full. We would like to extend an invitation to those residents who may not have access to an open space within their residence. We would also like to invite any residents with an interest in gardening or allotments to contact the club and support our Gardening Project initiatives. Please contact our research team at gardening@willowbankbc.co.uk .
Consultation DocumentInvitation to new bowlers.
If you have never tried bowling and would like to experience a coaching session, please contact the Club Coach . Dress code is normally informal (collared shirt /blouse , trousers or skirt) with smooth soled heelless shoes. Bowls will be supplied.
Appealing to our younger audience.
Would you like to try bowling as part of your physical Education (PE) classes? If you attend one of the primary or secondary schools within the West end (G3, G11, G12, G13, G20), then contact the club coach or youth project. (see contact page for details).
History of Willowbank Bowling Club
The history of Willowbank is entwined with its host city, Glasgow and celebrates the 175th anniversary in June 2010. As the city expanded Westwards, the club moved from hapthe city centre adjacent to Blythswood Square, along Sauchiehall Street to Willowbank Crescent. In 1888 [3] the club directors decided to purchase the land adjacent to Victoria Crescent Road in Hillhead. This move was prompted by the Glasgow Act (1891) which purchased green areas within the city boundaries and authorized expansion both westwards towards the river Kelvin and southwards into Renfrewshire and beyond. Both clubhouse and green were moved to the present site in 1895.
Club Badge and the City of Glasgow[1]
The club badge depicts willow trees and emphasises its link with the City of Glasgow by the inclusion of the Coat of Arms. The first green was located in sauchyhall Road at the western confines of the city. It was known locally as the Sauchyhall Road Green.
Business Links Project
The club relies on voluntary donations of specialist help to support activities. In an effort to acknowledge these donations and create a sustainable mechanism, we would like to develop a business partnership project which would publicize our links with businesses, their products and services. The intention is to create new funding streams for the club and provide a network of reliable specialists . If you run a business or think you may be interested, please contact the Business Links Project.
Youth Project
On Wednesday , 16th September 2009 the Scottish Parlliament held a debate on the findings of the HMIE inspections into physical education accross the 32 district councils in Scotland. Their findings suggest that that more than 60% of pupils attending school receive less than 2 hours of physical education per week. Local authorities receive 90% of all sports budgets but very few have complied with the 2004 Single Outcome agreement on physical sport. The worst statistics are those of girls in S2 - S4 classes. One of the targets identified within the report action plans are the development of community sports hubs. The lack of intrest in this topic was evident by the very poor attendance of MSP's in the chamber.
The club would like to hear from anyone with experience running youth projects and working with children's activity groups. Unlike many sporting activities, bowling has a reputation as An Old Man's Sport. If this is your view, you may be pleasantly surprised!!!
Some of our new members and residents have commented on the lack of youth activities within Willowbank. The controlling body within Scotland (Scottish Bowling Association) has an integrated youth policy and will support all initiatives which encourage the development of the sport amongst our young people. Here within Glasgow, the council supports a number of schemes which integrate bowling into community and education. If you would like to contribute , please contact us at the Youth Project
Articles and Club News
If you are running any events and wish to have them published on the website, you can post the details here.