BowlsMark Gold Case Study: Laurieston BC
A huge congratulations to Laurieston Bowling Club, who have recently become only the ninth club in Scotland to have achieved their gold BowlsMark accreditation.
Established in 1913, Laurieston Bowling Club prides itself on being one of the most inclusive and welcoming clubs in Scotland’s central belt. The club is situated within a Falkirk housing estate on Polmont Road, enabling the club to be at the heart of the local community.
In recent years the club has dedicated a large amount of time and resource into improving their facilities and making their clubhouse more accessible for people with disabilities. The club has also been working hard to recruit new members through hosting Try Bowls days, visiting local schools and liaising with various local community groups.
Bowls Scotland National Development Officer (East) Stuart Bell has been supporting Laurieston Bowling Club throughout this journey and recently visited the club to present them with their gold BowlsMark award. We spoke to Laurieston Bowling Club’s Wellbeing and Protection Officer Peter Alexander to find out more about the club’s progress.
Read the full Q&A below:
Q1. Why did Laurieston Bowling Club sign up for BowlsMark?
PA: “The main aims were to try and increase membership, footfall, functions and revenue by reviewing and improving how we operate.”
Q2. How has the development programme benefitted the club?
PA: “Our most recent Try Bowls event was a tremendous success and led to an increase in families joining. Our youth section has improved dramatically.
“We have made significant progress in improving our facilities for the benefit of our members, visiting bowlers and the local community. In particular making our clubhouse and sport more accessible to wheelchair users and people with limited mobility such as converting our committee room into an accessible toilet, providing ramp access to our clubhouse and green, and purchasing bowling wheelchairs and aids.”
Q3. Explain the process involved in achieving gold and outline who from the club was involved?
PA: “Our marketing convenor organised a series of strategic meetings which involved a sub-committee of volunteers from all ages and experiences - from young to old, new members to experienced, men and women.
“The purpose was to look at how we operate, identify what we were doing well, how we could improve and who would take the lead in driving change. A series of development, communication and engagement plans were then drafted for review by the committee.
“Part of the process also involved anonymous online surveys for members, local residents and visitors to gauge their feedback on what we do well and how we could do better.”
Q4. Would you encourage other clubs to engage with BowlsMark and why?
PA: “We would definitely encourage clubs to engage with BowlsMark as it provides a structured opportunity to engage with members and visitors to improve all aspects of how the club operates - from the bar and clubhouse to coaching and competitions.”
Q5. Tell us about some highlights from 2025 season, are there any new plans for 2026 now club has achieved the gold award?
PA: “One of our main highlights is the work we have done to improve our outreach work with children, young adults and community groups. We have forged a closer relationship with our local Active Schools team and during the summer holidays delivered taster sessions to around 300 children of primary school age. Our Sunday morning coaching classes continue to go from strength to strength, and several parents and grandparents who used to sit on the sidelines to watch now play. We secured sponsorship to stage our inaugural youth open pairs which attracted 20 teams from as far north as Forres to as far south as Lockerbie.
“We continue to deliver taster sessions to a diverse range of groups including LGBT Youth Scotland's FK1nclude social group for 13 to 25-year-olds and Alzheimer Scotland's Try Something New activity group for people with dementia and family carers.
“Going forward, we hope to conduct an annual review of our development plan with a view of identifying further improvements to our clubhouse and green, and how we operate and engage with our local community.”
Thank you to Peter for sharing an insight into Laurieston Bowling Club’s impressive progress over the last few years. Congratulations once again to everyone involved at the club!
BowlsMark is Bowls Scotland’s Club Accreditation Scheme which aims to provide a nationally recognised standard to enable clubs to develop safe, effective and welcoming environments for all. There are currently three different levels of BowlsMark, bronze, silver and gold which clubs can progress through and complete with the support of their National Development Officer for free. Achieving each level can assist clubs with membership growth and retention, obtaining external funding, and many other benefits.