Great Yarmouth Festival of Bowls, the biggest outdoor open bowling event in the country, is getting underway at Great Yarmouth seafront, with some 1,100 bowlers competing over four weeks.
Organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and managed by Brian Grint and the Festival of Bowls Committee, this year’s festival is taking place on the Britannia Bowling Greens between Sunday, August 25 and Friday, September 20.
Tournament coordinator Brian said: “This year’s festival looks to be another big year. Great Yarmouth is the UK’s bowls capital and the seafront is the best bowls venue in the country – you can’t beat it for atmosphere, and people come back year-on-year to meet old friends as well as for the high standard of play.
“It’s not just about playing bowls, it’s about Great Yarmouth as a place. The players bring their families and go to the different attractions in Great Yarmouth. Everyone enjoys fish and chips, a cup of tea with a doughnut and you can’t go to Great Yarmouth without having an ice cream.”
Attracting novice and expert players of all ages from across the UK and further afield, the annual festival is free to watch, withparticipants competing in men's, ladies’ and mixed teams for singles, pairs, triples and fours titles.
Cllr Graham Plant, chairman of the council’s economic development committee, said: “This free-to-watch festival attracts hundreds of players from all over, who stay in our hotels and guest houses, eat in our restaurants, visit our other attractions and really boost the economy. It’s also a great attraction for local residents too.
“Having the UK’s biggest outdoor open bowling event in Great Yarmouth is something to be truly proud of. I look forward to seeing the bowls start rolling again this year. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the festival sponsors, as well as the volunteers on the Festival of Bowls Committee, whose support makes this unique event possible.”
The sponsors in 2019 are Eastern Counties North East Branch of N.F.R. Newsagents, Beach Terrace Tea Rooms, The Prom Hotel, Peers Premier Apartments, Sentinel Leisure Trust, Brewer's Chip Saloon, Potters Bowls Shop, Ocean Spray Restaurant, Belt Up Badges and Archant. Significant donations have also been received from Steve Smith, Bob Green, Mal Dixon and John Grey.
Construction of an exciting new stake park at Cobholm is pushing ahead this week – the outcome of close working over several years between Great Yarmouth Borough Council, local young people and the skating community.
The new skate park, next to the multi-use games area off Mill Road, will replace a popular but outdated wooden one in the same location, providing a modern, exciting and upgraded facility to support involvement in physical activity. It will be made of reinforced concrete, incorporating ramps and grind rails set into a polished surface.
The funding, which comes from the council and housing developer contributions, was agreed following a request to councillors by young people from youth charity MAP and the local skating community, with support provided by the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Team.
Norfolk’s largest coastal resort is running an eye-catching social media campaign over Easter to remind would-be tourists to stay away and safe at home to help protect the NHS and save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the Easter bank holiday weekend normally marks the start of Great Yarmouth’s season, the message this year from the borough council and tourism businesses is that the resort is closed to visitors, with attractions, seafront car parks and holiday parks shut to the public as part of national social distancing measures.
The campaign will run over the four days and is aimed at those who might be tempted to break the restrictions by making unnecessary journeys to Great Yarmouth, Gorleston-on-Sea, or the local village resorts, and potentially congregating on the seafronts and beaches.
The project to save Great Yarmouth’s unique Winter Gardens has been successfully shortlisted to apply to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the borough council now working closely with a preferred operator to develop the funding application.
The Grade II*-listed at-risk landmark, which has dominated the famous Golden Mile since 1904, is a heritage gem of national significance as the UK’s last surviving Victorian seaside cast iron and glass winter gardens.
Following significant and ongoing project redevelopment, Great Yarmouth Borough Council submitted a successful Expression of Interest to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Horizons Awards scheme and is through the initial stage of the process.
Redevelopment of Great Yarmouth’s 40-year-old Marina Centre is scheduled to start on Monday, February 3, with demolition crews moving in to clear and prepare the seafront site for construction of an exciting new state-of-the-art Water and Leisure Complex.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s once-in-a-generation £26m investment will be a major year-round boost to the economy and community for decades to come, acting as a catalyst for potential further investment, whilst supporting health and well-being across the borough.
The new Marina Centre will create a truly year-round anchor attraction on the Golden Mile, including a six-lane 25m pool with full disabled access and suitable for competitions and galas, a confidence water area and learner pool with moveable floor, leisure water with fun play features, two water flumes and a splash pad.
Updated unique designs have been revealed for the redevelopment of Great Yarmouth’s Market Place, a key part of Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s exciting vision to regenerate the town centre.
The investment will see the market facilities significantly improved in the heart of the Market Place, with new units under anarchitecturally-striking canopy, designed to ensure the market is brighter, more inviting and compliments the historic setting.
This updated design has been shaped over the last 18 months, through public engagement around the initial ideas and original design, followed by individual detailed conversations with the six-day market traders.