As the co-ordinating body for all forms of bowls in Wales, BowlsWales is happy to advise clubs and individuals about the current Coronavirus situation, which is fast-moving and constantly developing.
The administration of the various leagues and other tournaments throughout Wales are the organisational responsibility of the various National Governing Bodies, and these are best placed to answer queries about their administration and rules.
The Welsh and UK Governments are in the process of formulating plans to assist businesses and other organisations and are also issuing advice as to whether they should close or remain open during this time.
BowlsWales works closely with Sport Wales and organisations for other sports in Wales, and we will keep everyone up to date regarding possible centrally funded financial and organisational advice throughout this time.
If your green and/or other club facilities are maintained by your local authority, they should be your first point of contact regarding payment, and their maintenance.
We will communicate all advice given to the various National Governing Bodies and will also point to it on the BowlsWales Facebook and Twitter pages.
Individual clubs should make their own decisions as to whether to open or partly open, paying particular attention to the best advice from Government and medical practitioners. Communicate with your members and let them know what is going on.
Be mindful of other club members, particularly the older age groups – is there any assistance you can give them?
Medical opinion from various experts indicates that the opportunity to be outside, taking moderate exercise is good for physical and mental wellbeing during this period, so if your green is open and you are not required to self-isolate:
- please observe and respect the social distancing advice from Government and remain over a metre away from other members. It is recommended that one player per rink is probably the best way of doing this.
- the virus can be transmitted on equipment if suitable precautions are not followed so please ensure that you thoroughly clean any equipment before and after use such as mats and jacks, perhaps use disposable gloves initially, particularly when opening the equipment shed to minimise the risk of accidental transmission.
- cleaning and disinfecting equipment before and after use is your personal responsibility, so please work out how you are going to do that before arriving at the green.
As we do not know how long this situation will last, BowlsWales are currently formulating our own contingency plan in an attempt to identify how we can use our resources to support bowls in Wales. We ask the National Governing Bodies (and their clubs) and associations to do the same.
We will review our guidance as and when we receive updates and the prevailing conditions change.
In addition, our officers will be working remotely while our office at Sport Wales HQ is closed and will be pleased to assist with any queries you may have regarding existing and new issues.
The office no. 02920334998 is therefore not in use for the foreseeable future.
For information:
Please contact:
General Manager – Sophie Hancocks
sophie.hancocks@bowlswales.com
07415 866569
Development Manager – Claire Joll
claire.joll@bowlswales.com
07936 363108
We are here to help you at this unprecedented time.
Many thanks,
Alun Jones,
Chair, BowlsWales
alun.jones@bowlswales.com
07970 823106
