This North Lancs and Fylde qualifying competition has been rearranged for Saturday 29th August 2026 at Broughton and District Bowling Club.

Secretaries / Club members, the details of the competition are on the attached poster, please bring this to the attention of your club members who may be interested in entering the competition.

Entrants must also be available to play at the BCGBA Centenary
Mixed Pairs Finals to be held on Saturday 3rd October 2026 (Venue
announcement pending)

The Bowls Development Alliance (BDA), together with the four National Governing Bodies of bowls (British Crown Green Bowling Association, English Short Mat Bowling Association, English Indoor Bowling Association, Bowls England), has launched a new national survey to better understand the experiences, challenges and priorities of the volunteers and club leaders who keep our sport thriving.

The organisations have come together to undertake a single piece of research with bowls clubs across England. The aim is to develop a shared understanding of what clubs need, identify the opportunities and challenges Clubs face and to use this information to help shape the future direction of bowls over the next five years.

Whether you serve on a committee, coach players, manage competitions, look after welfare, maintain the green or simply help keep your club running, your experience and insight are invaluable to this survey.

By taking part, you’ll help The Bowls Development Alliance build a clearer picture of:

• the challenges facing bowls clubs;
• the support volunteers and club leaders need;
• opportunities to strengthen clubs and grow participation; and
• where the National Governing Bodies and the BDA should focus their collective efforts over the next five years.

Please could you take the time to complete the survey and share this with the members of your club so that all club members have the chance to have their say.

The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete, and all responses are confidential.

The survey closes on Monday 7 September 2026 and can be completed by clicking the below link.

Complete the survey: https://bit.ly/ClubAndVolunteerSurvey2026

The BDA have informed us that as a thank you for taking part, participants who complete the survey and choose to provide their email address will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 Amazon Gift Voucher. Providing an email address is entirely optional and it is not necessary to complete the survey.

Calling all NL&F Bowlers aged 18 to 25 years.

***** news letter re-issued to correct venue location, my apologies for confusion*****

On Saturday 25th July 2026 we will be holding a NL&F County Qualifier at Lonsdale Club bowling green for any bowlers aged 18 to 25 years who wish to take part to progress to the BCGBA 18 to 25 Open Championship taking place at Cleckheaton Sports in Yorkshire on Sunday 9th August 2026.

Club secretaries, please bring this to the attention of any of your members who would qualify to play.

The rules of the competition can be viewed on the BCGBA website accessed at this link 18-25 Open Championship – British Crown Green Bowling Association

Entries to Andrew Lucas on 07968 536368 by Thursday 23rd July

Calling all Lady Bowlers of North Lancs and Fylde CBA

The North Lancs and Fylde Lady President’s day competition will soon be upon us and we are taking entries and hope to see as many lady bowlers enter as possible this year.

President’s Day is a highlight of the bowling calendar, it’s an opportunity to play competitively against each other but more than that, it is a great way to celebrate our president Kath Watkinson.

This competition is open to any lady bowler who plays in the NL&F area and is a good opportunity to come and meet the committee and, for those who are interested, it’s an opportunity to come and express an interest in playing in the County team.

This years competition is at Cath’s home club, Bretherton Bowling Club, PR26 9AB, starting at 10am on Sunday 2nd of August 2026.

Entries to Sarah Edmondson on 07855799389

As a County we have been contacted by the BCGBA who have circulated the following advice for bowling matches that are taking place in this period of unusual weather with increased temperatures.

Extreme Heat Guidance for League Fixtures June 2026

Thank you to WWCBA for sharing their document below which has been adapted for all Counties.

With the crown green bowls season now in full swing, and in anticipation of forecast extreme temperatures and weather warnings across our region, North Lancs and Fylde CBA on the advice of the BCGBA is issuing the following guidance to clubs, players and League Officials. [NOTE: Warnings by the UK Government based on the Met Office advice]

This notice, whilst not yet directly altering arrangements, is intended to provide guidance and support for all leagues, clubs, teams and players affiliated to North Lancs and Fylde CBA

Our priority is the health, safety and welfare of all participants, officials, volunteers and spectators.

General Advice for All Bowls Activity

• Hydration is essential – drink water regularly before, during and after play. Avoid excessive alcohol and limit dehydrating drinks.
• Seek shade wherever possible and avoid prolonged exposure during the hottest periods of the day.
• Wear suitable clothing including hats/caps and apply high-factor sun cream regularly.
• Clubs should ensure drinking water, shaded areas and suitable welfare arrangements are available.
• Consider adjusting start times to avoid the hottest part of the day (between 11am–3pm).
• Take regular comfort breaks once ends are completed.

League Fixtures During Extreme Heat

For fixtures taking place during periods covered by Amber or Red heat warnings:

• North Lancs and Fylde CBA strongly recommends that matches scheduled during the hottest periods of the day are postponed and rearranged.

• Any team requesting postponement due to extreme heat conditions and welfare concerns may do so without forfeit.
• Rearranged fixtures should take place in accordance with normal league rules. Where no rearrangement period exists, clubs are expected to agree a new date within 29 days of the original fixture.
• No club should refuse a reasonable postponement request made on health and safety grounds.

Where Both Teams Wish to Proceed

If both clubs mutually agree to play, clubs must actively assess and manage conditions and should consider:

• Earlier or later start times
• Increased breaks and access to refreshments
• Availability of shade for players, markers and spectators
• Monitoring participants for signs of heat-related illness
• Stopping play and restarting at a later time or rearranging to another day if conditions become unsafe

This guidance reflects current weather advice and recognises that conditions may differ across venues. Clubs and players should exercise sensible judgement and prioritise welfare at all times.

North Lancs and Fylde CBA following the advice of the BCGBA reserves the right to issue further direction should conditions worsen or official weather warnings escalate.

BOWLS’ BIG SUMMER is getting ever nearer
For the first time, all four Bowls National Governing Bodies are working in partnership to
deliver a central Bowls campaign. This is being led by Bowls England, British Crown
Green Bowling Association, English Indoor Bowling Association, English Short Mat
Bowling Association and with the overarching support of the Bowls Development Alliance.

We know that recruitment of new players is the top priority for clubs. Bowls’ Big Summer is a new joint national initiative to enable bowls clubs to capture new
participants this season, with a focus on introducing potential players to bowls
throughout summer and welcoming those who want to give bowls a go at our clubs
during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July/August.

Please find attached an updated newsletter about this summer long event advising how your club can get involved with useful information and links to free downloadable resources, lets try and share our sport with our local communities and get more people involved

North Lancs & Fylde Ladies take on Staffordshire Ladies in the first round of Section 2 of the BCGBA Ladies County Championship  on Sunday 17^th May 2026

The home leg is being played at Victoria Bowling Club, Wood Green South Meadow Lane Preston, PR1 8LJ. Match commences at 2pm.

All spectators are welcome and refreshments will be available at the Club on the day.

Our County will be represented by the below Lady Bowlers and we wish both our home and away team the best of luck on Sunday  

The away leg is being played at Birches Head Hotel, Birches Head Road, Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 6LL.

There is still time for spectators to book a place to travel on the coach to support the team at Staffordshire, please contact Karen Kenworthy at secretarynlfcba@gmail.com if you would like a place on the coach.

Live match scores will also be available to view on the day by visiting the bowling results website: https://bowlsresults.co.uk/ladies/

The BCGBA has released a letter to all bowling clubs with an update on the Bowls Big Summer campaign, they are encouraging all clubs to register their Bowling Clubs with Play-Bowls.com as a central location that prospective bowlers can visit to find there local green.

Please see the attached letter that provides more information

Remember to register your club your club to take part in this national event through the Sports England website where you can access Bowls Big Summer 2026 posters and flyers to use throughout the summer to advertise events at your club.

Last year, 204 Clubs nationally, registered to take part in the 2025 BIG Bowls weekend. Following feedback from participants Bowls England have decided to extended the success of the Bowls BIG Weekend and have launched the Bowls BIG Summer 2026!!!

Lots of Clubs fed back that whilst they saw benefits of an increased interested in bowls, they felt having the activities over just a Bank Holiday Weekend was restrictive for participants, and volunteers alike. So this year, there’ll be the opportunities for events all Summer long.

Bowls England are once again hosting the platform for clubs to register their interest and the Bowls Development Alliance will be coordinating lots of activities across the country.

By registering, your club will be able to access digital resources to use on social media and handy downloaded resources that you can use to advertise and promote events at your clubs.

Please use the link bellow to register your interest and help us to promote our sport in your own local areas.

https://www.bowlsengland.com/bowls-big-summer/

Updated Statement from the British Crown Green Bowling Association regarding regarding the Transgender Participation Policy Review (March 2026).

Please find attached an updated statement from the BCGBA in relation Transgender Participation in Crown Green Bowls, its current position and its intention to continue to review its policy. The previous statement issued following the 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling was circulated via newsletter in May 2025 and can be found by searching the NL&F CBA website.