Pentney Indoor Bowls Club closes following concerns over building

A bowls club which has been running since the 1980s has closed, affecting more than 100 of its members.

Pentney Indoor Bowls Club, which had been based at the Pentney Country Club on Narborough Road, shut last week following concerns about the building members had been using.

Mike King, who had been chairman for more than 20 years, said one of the main causes of the club’s dissolution was the state of the premises.

“There’s been no investment for many years - the roof is in a bad state of repair and the leaks go into the green,” he said.

Meanwhile, there were also issues with old gas heaters no longer working, as well as the drainage system.

“There are lots of things that haven’t been looked at,” Mike added.

“We lost the lunches, the Saturday entertainment has finished - we were the only people left in the building.”

When the country club’s owners – Countrywide Park Homes, based in Nottingham – initially decided to shut the premises, the bowls club did try to come up with solutions.

“We have tried to keep it open, we said we would do this and that,” Mike said.

“The club manager is very supportive, she tried to help us. The owners agreed to us doing a deal, which I then agreed with the members.

“We were supposed to take over last Friday and on Thursday they said no as they were worried part of the roof could collapse.”

The chairman said the club, which had between 100 and 125 members, will now be deciding what to do next, with potential options including moving to clubs in Lynn, Fakenham and Dereham.

They are set to discuss these options at an extraordinary general meeting on December 1.

“A lot of people will be affected,” Mike added.

“Members were very happy and supportive, they wanted to see the club stay open.

“At the end of the day, I think some members are very aggrieved, some are not very happy about everything.”

Mike, who lives in Dersingham, said despite believing the club needs to “move forward”, he had always found Pentney to be a “very friendly, family club”.

“That’s where I have belonged, it was a nice social life,” he added.

Countrywide Park Homes has been approached for comment but had not replied at the time of going to press.