BowlsMark Gold Case Study: Thurso BC
A huge congratulations to Thurso Bowling Club, who have recently became only the fifth club in Scotland to have achieved their gold BowlsMark accreditation.
Established in 1887, Thurso BC is the most northerly outdoor bowling club on the British mainland. With a thriving collective membership of over 160 adults and juniors, TBC is a very active and popular club where members share a passion of lawn bowling.
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. The programme will also improve participants experience through well trained coaches & volunteers at clubs and encourage lifelong participation through sustainable development pathways.
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.
We spoke to Thurso BC’s Secretary, Janet Sinclair, to find out more about the clubs journey in recent years. Read the full Q&A below…
Q1. Why did TBC sign up to BowlsMark?
A: “When BowlsMark was introduced we signed up because we could see the benefits of the scheme, knowing that this would guide and support us in ensuring our club was reflective of modern practices and ensuring that we had the correct policies and procedures in place.
“BowlsMark accreditation was also a help to our club as we tried to seek funding grants to improve our toilet facilities and incorporate a disabled toilet into the clubhouse. We knew that the BowlsMark accreditation would give us the evidence to demonstrate that our club was a forward thinking, completely inclusive and well governed establishment. Additionally, we knew that our constitution and byelaws needed to be brought up to date in line with modern guidelines, and BowlsMark was able to support us in this process.
“As a club we had already started moving forward, recognising that times and thoughts had changed over the years and so the perception of bowling as an ‘old man’s sport’ had to change too. Naturally, signing up to the BowlsMark award allowed us to demonstrate our commitment to making lawn bowls a modern game. The help and advice from Stuart Bell, one of Bowls Scotland’s National Development Officers, gave us the opportunity to ensure that we now have in place a structure which ensures we have a safe, equal and welcoming environment for all bowlers regardless of age or ability.”
Q2. How has the development programme benefitted the club?
A: “BowlsMark accreditation gave the club the opportunity to reflect on changes already made and to identify areas that still needed to be changed. From here the committee could action plans to drive our club forward. For many the comfort of continuing old habits and structures would be acceptable, but at TBC we were dedicated to driving our club forward and making changes to reflect the current demographic of our members and needs of our club. By following the BowlsMark accreditation we were able to evidence our achievement to date and put in place anything that was missing. This now leaves clear guidelines and a comprehensive development plan for future committees to work with.”
Q3. Explain the process the club has went through to achieve gold accreditation?
A: “Working through the stages of the BowlsMark criteria - bronze, silver and gold took us on a step-by-step pathway to continually improving our club. The programme has supported the committee in recognising and then changing our procedures to ensure we are providing the best practice and environment for everyone. Luckily, we met quite a few of the Bowlsmark criteria before the journey started which did make our journey to the gold accreditation easier.
“Whilst doing bronze we updated our wellbeing and protection which we already had in place and ensured our Constitution was up to date. When we reached silver, we decided to push for more members to take on coaching roles. So, thanks to the Bowls Scotland Coach Education Subsidy, we now have nine keen new coaches at the club and hold regular coaching sessions. Gold accreditation asked for a Development Plan, a Community Engagement Plan and a Communication Plan. Although we had aspects of these in place, the journey towards gold allowed us to ensure that we had robust and concrete documents to evidence each area. With these now in situ the future committees and members of TBC can clearly see and relate to each of the areas.
“The insightful planning session held by Stuart Bell was really enjoyed by the committee and we came away very positive with more ideas on how to make Thurso Bowling Club better for all the members. The club has hugely benefitted from the programme. We now have guidelines in place for all the committee members, codes of conduct for the committee, the members, the coaches etc., up to date Constitution and Byelaws and a Development Plan ensuring that the vision and mission for the club is there for future committees to follow. In previous years we survived year on year, with new committees coming onboard with new plans and thoughts for the next season but without thinking so much of the long-term needs of the club. Thanks to BowlsMark, we now have a pathway for all new committees to follow as well as guidelines for development, community and communication which will make their task easier.”
Q4. What would your message be to encourage other clubs to sign up to BowlsMark?
A: “Our committee have found the BowlsMark scheme a very positive journey and would recommend all clubs have a look at the criteria which builds on your club’s foundation and takes it to a higher standard based on good practice. Stuart Bell, as our National Development Officer, has been an amazing help. We feel very fortunate to have had Stuart overseeing us all the way and thank him for his exceptional guidance and support.
"We are now an up-to-date club with a vision and a mission for the future.”
Q5. How has the 2024 season been and does the club have any future plans or initiatives that are currently a focus point?
A: “The 2024 season has been a very positive and rewarding year for the club. We finished our refurbishments securing enough funding and member volunteer work to cover all costs, so now have accessible toilets making the club totally inclusive, new heating, hot water and LED lighting throughout.
“Our membership is going from strength to strength with many competitive and competent bowlers shaping up for the future. We are delighted to have so many juniors coming along and really enjoying bowling. We also invited high school pupils to the green on Friday morning's (after the exams finished) with the plan to start up a High School Junior Club and are hopeful that now the seeds have been sown this will be up and running in 2025. Mainly through grant funding we have been able to purchase seven sets of small 0000 bowls to augment our stock of smaller bowls for the youngsters and are seeking funding for another three sets of 000.
“We realise that the future of bowling depends on bringing youngsters into the sport and are very enthusiastic about our junior section. Our Junior Convenor has a performance stage structure in place to ensure that each junior is supported to develop as a player at an individual level, preparing them to play the sport at both skills level and also with the appropriate mindset. As there are no junior sections in the other clubs in Caithness, next year we plan to open our club to youth players from across the county. One of our juniors Jamie Newman became champion in the Northern Counties Bowling Association Junior Championship and we are extremely proud of his achievement.
“We have increased the number of female bowlers in the club and now have 52 female members. Nine of our ladies travelled to Ayr in the pairs, triples and rinks to represent District 1 in this year’s National Championships. Although they did not bring home any silverware, they did the club proud. Two of the ladies who went to Ayr are in their second year of bowling so a magnificent performance by them. They were delighted with the experience and are hoping to qualify again in 2025.
“As always there are many plans and improvements in the pipeline. At present we are looking into reducing our carbon footprint further and have quotes coming in to install solar panels.
“And of course, we attained our Gold BowlsMark award in 2024. We celebrated the event with a party at the club with lots of food and fizz.”
Thank you to Janet for sharing an insight into Thurso BC’s progress over the last few years. Congratulations once again to everyone involved at the club!
For more information on BowlsMark or to sign your club up, please visit: https://www.bowlsscotland.com/club-development/bowlsmark