Pensioners enraged as Labour plans to close 30 bowling greens: ‘We are distraught!’

Leeds City Council are shutting 30 bowling greens

Leeds City Council are shutting 30 bowling greens (Image: SWNS)

Labour’s plans to close dozens of bowling greens have left pensioners and Britain’s top crown green bowling champ enraged.

Gareth Coats – the 38-year-old reigning champion of the most prestigious title in the sport, the Waterloo – has slammed Leeds City Council’s proposals to axe almost half the 61 greens it maintains.

The council wants to shut down 24 greens in the hope of saving £140,000 a year, claiming that crown green bowling memberships in the area have fallen by 39% since 2014.

However, following a backlash from bowlers, they have announced that the clubs can stay open until the end of the 2025 season. But Gareth has blasted the decision – claiming the sport is attracting more younger players and is thriving in Yorkshire.

He said: “Yorkshire has got the best level of junior players out of all the counties. We’ve got quite a lot of areas in the area – the junior sections at so many clubs in West Yorkshire are coming on leaps and bounds.

The council is trying to save £140,000 a year

The council is trying to save £140,000 a year (Image: SWNS)

“We are considered one of the best places for bringing junior players into the sport – Leeds and Huddersfield are one the biggest areas for this.

“There’s so much history at the clubs, people have played there all their lives. It’s quite sad to see that the clubs might end up going away. There’s people who have played for years, who want to see the younger ones follow in their footsteps and play on the same greens.”

Gareth, who has been playing the sport since he was 12, says it will be sad to see clubs closed down because it helps the older generation socialise.

He added: “It’s just so sad to see the greens going. You have family members who have played all their lives and then you start playing, so it’s sad to know that it’s going away.

“It’s a social thing for the older generation, they go for a game of bowls to see their friends and have a cup of tea with a few biscuits.”

The council said if the closure plans got the go-ahead, Leeds would still have a greater number of council-run crown green bowling sites than other large cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.

The first phase of its consultation period will end on January 26 and will be followed by a second stage that will allow for further detailed discussions with the city’s bowling clubs.

But the proposals have sparked anger from players, who say the sport is a vital lifeline for older people’s mental and physical health.

One of the clubs facing the axe is Harehills Park Bowling Club, which was ‘highly commended’ by the council at its 2024 annual awards in its Community Sports Project category just a month ago.

Captain Laura Fulleylove, 42, said: “I know a lot of bowlers and I’ve known them for a long, long time because I’ve been around a bowling green all my life. They are distraught and they think it’s cruel because they won’t be able to see their friends anymore.

“There is some greens that are safe but they won’t be able to take part in the leagues anymore so it will eventually die off. It’s a heritage, a lot of these bowling greens have been around for over 100 years. A lot of people are in shock that Harehills Park Bowling Club are on the list.

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“A lot of other clubs have been coming to us for advice for the last couple of years for support and advice and guidance on funding and training opportunities. It’s really, really sad.”

Leeds City Council originally announced that the clubs would have to close down but opened a public consultation. After a backlash from bowlers, the council later confirmed that all the bowling facilities will remain open until the end of the 2025 summer season.

Laura, who has been bowling since she was three years old, said she was “livid” when she found out about the plans. She said: “I was livid – I was there face to face with the council but I hit the roof. I asked them to justify it because of all the work that we’ve done.

“We’ve raised thousands of pounds and we even paid the council £10,000 to resurface our paths. We spent money from the National Lottery to renovate the pavilion and get more benches and make it fit for purpose. We’ve got equipment for disabled people, CCTV and a defibrillator that we paid for. It’s unbelievable that they are choosing us to close.”

The council have said that closing the bowling greens would save them £140,000 a year – so Laura, of Leeds, West Yorks., is now hoping to raise that money herself.

She said: “That should keep all of the clubs open for at least the next year, until we’ve got a plan. I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the club and I’ve raised a lot of money. I can’t believe they’ve done this when we are one of the clubs promoting bowls and supporting different families.”

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said: “The council has been clear that its financial situation means it needs to make difficult decisions, with staffing reductions, building closures and asset sales being explored across all service areas.

“We also recognise, though, that each and every one of these decisions must be taken in a way that gives people the best possible chance to have their voices heard.

“Since we began gathering views on the proposed changes to crown green bowling provision, players and clubs have told us they feel more time is needed for the plans to be considered.

“We hope that the revised consultation arrangements will alleviate the immediate concerns regarding the 2025 summer season and also help us work together to find the best way forward in the longer term.”

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