Brooke Park Bowling Club left with unfit Clubhouse ahead of centenary year

Members of Brooke Park Bowling club in Rosemount have been asking for a new clubhouse for several years but have yet to receive any confirmation of funding or plans.

Members of the club and Club President, Dorothy Campbell, say that the current portacabin building is not fit for purpose.

The club is set to celebrate its centenary next year and Dorothy says you simply wouldn't host anything at the current premises in the state it is in.

Dorothy explained: "The club has been part of the community for 100 years next year and we want to celebrate that milestone.

"As the clubhouse stands at the minute, you couldn't celebrate anything. You wouldn't host people here, it would be embarrassing with the state it is in.

"The club is such a big part of the community, we are sometimes the only socialising a member will have that day. I know the amount of money available will be based on our size and number of members, but how can we encourage new members with the facilities looking like this?"

"The water was coming in the roof and it was just patched up. We can't play in the winter because we have no means to play indoors. We need a defibrillator on site for safety purposes. We need plans.

"We have waited and waited and we have heard nothing. I really want to see this club thrive and keep doing what we do within the community. We want to welcome new players, young and old, but we need the facilities to do this. We need to know a plan going forward."

Derry City and Strabane District Council, who own the building, have discussed the issue since 2020 when it was brought to the attention of Council that a refurbishment of sorts was required.

At a Council meeting in December 2020, councillors disputed on what is the best way forward with regards to the planning. 

A report prepared for the meeting outlined the two options that the council are considering in relation to the bowling club building.

Option one was to replace the building on a 'like for like' basis at a cost of £180,000.

The second option was to repair the current building at a cost of £60,000.

People Before Profit councillor, Shaun Harkin, said the Rosemount club had been in existence for almost 100 years and was an 'intrinsic' part of the local community.

He said the current club building had been there for 40 years but was 'no longer adequate'.

Councillor Harkin said a 'brick-built' facility should be constructed for the club and that it would be a 'waste of money' to repair the current building.

“It is better that we focus on getting a proper solution rather than halfway houses,” he said.

His comments were supported by independent councillor Sean Carr who said the current clubhouse is an 'embarrassment'.

He described the plan to repair the building as 'another sticking plaster' and added that he would back a proposal to build a 'proper facility'.

At the time of the meeting, it was agreed that any vote on the matter be deferred and was deferred until the January meeting of the Health and Community Committee.

Commenting this week on the plan for the clubhouse, a spokesperson for Derry and Strabane District Council confirmed that an internal resource has been appointed within the Capital team to take forward the design process for the Brooke Park Bowling Club project.

They said: "A subsequent update will come back through Council’s Capital Working Group providing Elected Members with an update on timescales for design drawings and proposals and a consultation schedule with user groups."

Dorothy and members of Brooke Park Bowling Club wish to invite the public down to Brooke Park Bowling Club to try their hands at bowls.

The Bowling Club is open between 1pm and 5pm and reopens between 6pm and 10pm.