PLAYERS have been bowled over by the results of a £50,000 upgrade to a town sports centre.
The bowling hall at Gainsborough's West Lindsey Leisure Centre was given the revamp after it was hit by repeated heating failures.
BOWLED OVER: Pete Mays sends down a wood.
IT'S HALL RIGHT: The bowling hall at West Lindsey Leisure Centre has undergone a £50,000 refurbishment.
BOWLED OVER: John Hunt sending down a wood.
HAVING A BOWL: Dorothy Moyes sending down a wood.
••••..Now the hall – which operates as an indoor bowling green rather than a ten-pin centre – has new lighting and heating, a restored playing area and complete redecoration.
The facelift also puts the building in line with plans by West Lindsey District Council to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by its facilities.
Barbara Thompson, 68, who is the bowls senior county coaching co-ordinator for Lincolnshire, thinks the hall is now comparable with facilities available in Lincoln and Louth.
"It's 100 per cent better and will attract more people," she said.
"I'm sorry that I'm going away to Australia now for five months, but when I come back I am determined to continue to offer coaching sessions to experienced bowlers, parents and juniors."
Mick Dickinson, 66, of Ingham, near Lincoln, said: "The carpet looks good and the lights are really bright now.
"Lots of people complained about it being cold in here – it's brilliant now."
Work included replacing the old night storage heating system with new heating and cooling air-conditioning units as well as stripping out old florescent lights and putting low-energy lighting contained within a suspended ceiling. Workers also upgraded the insulation to make it more energy efficient.
Councillor Gillian Bardsley, vice- chairman of the council's prosperous communities committee and local ward member, said: "Not only do we have a newly refurbished hall for the community, but it will also save money on energy and reduce our carbon footprint."
The leisure centre is operated on the council's behalf by Sport and Leisure Management, which paid for the redecoration and work on the playing area.
Operations manager Kerry O'Neill said: "I think it is fantastic that the council has invested the money in this area. We now have a fantastic facility for all the community to use."
Council building surveying team leader Gary Reevell said: "We worked closely with the bowling club to find out exactly what was needed to bring the hall into the 21st century."
