- Darren Campbell
Rugby residents young and old have had the opportunity to try getting active playing bowls thanks to a new collaboration facilitated by Think Active.
A free bowls taster session was held on 26 August at Oakfield Bowling Club in Bilton Road, organised in partnership with the neighbouring Hoskyn Community Centre, who provide a weekly lunch and other activities for the elderly and people with disabilities.
Think Active has recently been working with the Hoskyn Centre to find ways to help their members get more physically active, and it was through our Place Universal event at Rugby’s Benn Hall in June that the centre’s team were first put in touch with Bowls England, the national governing body for outdoor flat green bowls.
That meeting paved the way for Bowls England to connect the Hoskyn Centre with Oakfield Bowling Club, located just a few doors down from the community centre’s premises at Hamilton House.
"Exercise is best when you don’t even know you are doing it but just having fun"
Alune Williams, Hoskyn Community Centre
It proved to be an ideal matchup. The Hoskyn Centre had been seeking to introduce an activity that would encourage the centre’s elderly members to be more active and socially engaged, while at the same time, Oakfield Bowling Club were looking to attract new members.
Supported by Bowls England and Think Active, the partnership were able to bring their shared goals together, with the bowls taster session providing a great first step in enabling more people to come together, try the sport and keep physically active.
Gary Tubb, Secretary of Oakfield Bowling Club, said: “It was a brilliant day, enjoyed by all who participated. It was great to see the range of ages who turned up, the youngest being 13 years old.
“The overwhelming feeling from the day was that what we are trying to achieve should work. The collaboration between us and the Hoskyn Centre will benefit both organisations, and should be promoted to the wider community to entice more people to join in.”
Alune Williams, Chair of the Hoskyn Centre, said: “Exercise is best when you don’t even know you are doing it but just having fun. Bowls is good for stretching and core stability.
“The collaboration worked, Gary was great and the bowls club members were good too. It was a great outing and great fun.”
Rita Joshi, Partnership Manager at Think Active, said: “It was fantastic to see such a great turnout at the bowls taster session and, most importantly, to see everyone getting involved and having a go. There was a really lovely atmosphere, with people of all ages getting active, chatting and enjoying themselves.
“It was great to see the collaboration between the Hoskyn Centre, Oakfield Bowling Club and Bowls England coming to life, and the sunny weather certainly helped make it an enjoyable day. Seeing people moving, socialising and having fun through sport really showed what a positive difference opportunities like this can make in the community.”
Think Active has also been working with the Hoskyn Centre on exploring other ways to help their members get more active, including discussing options for funding such as the Sport England Movement Fund.
Think Active is a member of the Active Partnerships network, collaborating with local partners throughout Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire to promote the power of sport and physical activity for transforming lives and keeping people living well. Find out more about what we do.
