Chair Statement - October 2020
Dear Clubs, Members and Partners,
Well I cannot quite believe we are in October already. I do hope you are all safe and well and are keeping busy off the green. I know the recent additional restrictions are hard and its difficult not to get frustrated, but I know that you will all do your very best to adhere to these guidelines and collectively keep everyone in our bowling family safe. We might not be on the green anymore, but we still have a responsibility to ensure we all do what we can to help in the fight against COVID-19.
Now that our season has come to an end, we can now take a short period of time to take a breath and reset. Whilst we will reflect on the huge amount of work that everyone has contributed to over the last 6 months, we will also try to provide stability for our clubs as we progress into the winter months.
A key change for Bowls Scotland this winter will be how we host our Annual General Meeting. Usually we would be looking forward to meeting together in November to discuss company business but also to reconnect with friends from across Scotland. This year’s AGM will be held virtually, a big change for our members and staff, however I am confident that we can all work together to ensure everything runs smoothly.
We launched a second COVID-19 club survey in August, thank you to the 450 clubs who took the time to provide us with invaluable information about their current challenges and what support they required now and in the coming months. We have used the recommendations from the survey to inform our club development support, including offering a series of free workshops to clubs, guidance for off the green activities, AGM and meeting guidance, as well as funding for your club information. Keep an eye out for all this support coming soon and please get in touch with our National Development Officers, Lawra, Daniel and Stuart if you need anything else.
During lockdown I tried to keep fit and active through daily walks and I have challenged myself to continue to do this through the winter. I hope many of you will join me in my challenge and let’s see if we can manage to ‘walk a daily mile’ or at least do 15 minutes of physical activity a day. This might be part of your travel to the bowling green to meet friends or just a socially distanced walk and talk. Getting out in the fresh air for just a short while can really help with your health and wellbeing.
Lastly, another big thank you to our staff for their continued commitment to ensuring our clubs are well supported throughout this time whilst planning for the future. Our staff continue to have our club’s best interests at heart and in line with our values of collaboration; inclusivity; integrity and clarity have delivered consistently over this uncertain and difficult period.
Be Kind, Stay Connected and Keep Active.
Sue Beatt
Chair, Bowls Scotland