*IMPORTANT INFORMATION*

Please see the letter from the BCGBA regarding the Group Insurance Policy for 2026. It is requested that only Clubs who require their insurance to be renewed to provide cover for winter bowling, i.e. from the 1st January, should follow the manual process and renew now.

If you do not need to renew your cover immediately, can you please wait until the automated process is available which is due to be launched in two months time.

All payments are to be made direct to the BCGBA via bank transfer and not to the NLFCBA account.

If any Club or League is unsure of their BCGBA registration number please send an email to the County Membership Coordinator, Gill Sutton at cmc.nlfcba@gmail.com

NLFCBA 2026 AGM will be held on Sunday 25th January at 12pm, at the Canberra Club, Samlesbury Aerodrome, A59 Samlesbury, BB2 7LF.

There will be a short presentation on the BCGBA disciplinary procedure, followed immediately by the NLFCBA AGM.

It is mandatory that a committee member from each of the North Lancs & Fylde’s affiliated leagues attends this meeting.

Officials and players from all bowling clubs are invited to attend.

Please find the latest Safeguarding newsletter from the Bowls Development Alliance

To all Clubs and playing members,

This is to advise that the individual lifetime player membership with the BCGBA has increased from £15 to £20

Junior bowler who is under 18 years of age will receive free membership until they attain the age of 18 years when they will pay the full membership fee.

Any individual can apply for BCGBA membership by completing a BCGBA Membership Application Form, which is available from the NLFCBA website or from the County Membership Co-ordinator. The completed form should be sent to the County Membership Coordinator for processing.

Membership Cards lost or damaged will be replaced upon application to the County
Membership Co-ordinator and on payment of the appropriate fee.

To download the new application form please visit the NLFCBA website by clicking this link:

Bowls Development Alliance are running a ‘Week of Learning’ programme, which next takes place from Monday 13th to Friday 17th October. For those who are unaware, it offers ‘Free’ Webinars to members of any Club Affiliated to British Crown Green Bowling Association.

There will be sessions of the following topics:

You can read what each session will cover and register your free space by clicking on the Blue Box below each session. Please click this link to visit the BDA website: https://bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com/week-of-learning/

Registration for each session will be open up until the morning of the session. Once registered, you will receive an email with the session link and further information. Please feel free to promote ‘Week of Learning’ to Club, Members, Committee etc.

If you encounter any problems, please email the BDA at clubdevelopment@bowlsdevelopmentalliance.com

The Semi Finals and Final of the North Lancs & Fylde 2025 County team Competition takes place this Saturday 20th September at the Crown Hotel Bowling Club, High Street, Garstang, PR3 1FA – Games start at 11am, No practice

All spectators are most welcome.

Semi Finals –

Hambleton v Two Gates

1. Steve Atkinson v Gerald Oakland
2. Geoff Little v Lee Longland
3. Jonathan Goodall v Andy P White
4. Ben Duke v Stephen Clough
5. Lee Coleman v Anthony Rukin
6. John Ronson v Harry Hargreaves
7. John Wilkinson v Dean Butler
8. Callum Danson v Lee Hammond

Reserves: –
Steve Jackson Colin Crawford
Eric Rawcliffe John Bentley

Hoghton v Lostock Cons

1. Gary Daw v Andy Graham
2. Ross Hatzer v Dave Hargreaves
3. Christopher Miller v Keith Morgan
4. Michael Coupe v Trevor Bibby
5. Peter Hawkes v Brian Morgan
6. Joshua Iddon v Martin Halsall
7. Gareth Whittle v Phil Wood
8. Kevin Bond v Pedro Peter Ped Yates

Reserves: –
Mark Hinchcliffe
Graham Myers

Winner and Runner-up will qualify for the 2026 BRITISH CROWN GREEN BOWLING ASSOCIATION CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

If any club or bowler is interested in undertaking a Crown Green Bowling coaching course, which is certified by Coach Bowls, we are asking for you to complete the following survey to register your interest by clicking on the web link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XDFDFMW

or using the QR code with the camera on your phone:

The information from the survey will be provided by the BCGBA to Coach Bowls, so they can plan and arrange courses around demand and postcode areas.

Coach Bowls currently run two courses of which 50% bursaries will be available on completion of the course:

Level 1 Coach Bowls Course
2 × 3-hour Zoom sessions
A learning portfolio
A practical day
Minimum of 2 practice sessions back at your club
An assessment day
Cost: £150 (includes insurance) – 50% bursary available on completion
Once we have 12 names local to you, we will arrange a venue and date with Coach Bowls.

Level 2 Coach Bowls Course
3 × 3-hour Zoom sessions
A learning portfolio
Two practical days
Minimum of 4 linked practice sessions back at your club (with bowlers who are not beginners)
An assessment day
Cost: £235 (includes insurance) – 50% bursary available on completion
Once we have 12 names, we will arrange the course with Coach Bowls. You may need to travel outside your county for the practical days and final assessment.

British Heart Foundation are currently offering free defibrillators to community organisations, and Crown Green Bowling Clubs are eligible to apply.

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, and having a defibrillator on site could save lives – not just for club members, but for visitors and the wider community. The application process is simple, and the BHF also provides guidance and training to help clubs use their equipment confidently.

You can find full details and apply here by clicking the web link:

🔗 https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-free-defibrillator-for-your-community

Please consider applying for your club, and share this information with other clubs in your area. Together we can help make Crown Green Bowling a safer, more welcoming community for everyone.

Please find below the first two editions of the BCGBA Funding Focus newsletter, created to support bowls clubs in finding and applying for relevant funding opportunities

🔹 August 2025 – Facilities

A county-by-county guide to grants for greens, pavilions, and community spaces.

🔹 September 2025 – Youth Development

Funding opportunities to help clubs engage young people, develop coaching programmes, and build links with schools and youth groups.

Both newsletters are practical and easy to use, with local opportunities listed first and national grants at the end.

Any questions or requests for support can be directed to the National Development Officer by email to  nationaldevelopment@bcgba.org.uk

Entries are being taken from Ladies teams for the County team competition which will be held on the weekend of the 4th and 5th October 2025. Venue is to be confirmed.

Teams for the event will consist of eight players, from a squad list of a maximum of twelve players, from which the team must be selected. Players must be bona fide members of the Club which is affiliated to NLFCBA.

The winner of the event of the event will go onto represent North Lancs & Fylde at the BCGBA Ladies Club Championship finals in 2026.

The format of the county qualifying event, competition rules, and entry fee will be determined by the Management Committee dependent upon entries.

If any Ladies team would like to register their interest, please contact Competition Secretary, Sarah Edmondson on 07855 799389