Yob culture threatens our existence

One of the amenities was the building of a Bowling pavilion and the laying out of a bowling green. Approximately 150 to 200 residents became members of the Cleveleys North Drive Bowling and social club.

The pavilion consisted of the main club house and a small annex on the corner of the building to be used by a greensman who, besides selling tickets to the public allowing them to play bowls on an hourly basis, also kept the green and park in good condition.

Happy days with members of the social club playing friendly matches nearly every day and in the evenings. Two or three times a week they held socials in the club house, whist, bingo and other social games.

In the early 80s Cleveleys Bowling Club was formed to play teams in the local Bowls League. As, by this time, the greensman had retired and not been replaced, Cleveleys Bowling Club renovated the annexe and used it on match days.

Then, in came the yob culture, charging round on bikes, throwing stones at bowlers, graffiti everywhere.

The social club at this time had declined in membership because of threats and insulting behaviour. Their evening meetings had to stop because youths egged-on by girls, pushed open the door and hurled stones and even dog excreta into the club house. They also broke into the club house setting fires and smashing doors. The public toilets at the rear of the club house were smashed and destroyed and louts even got into the pavilion by going through the roof wrecking the old peoples' chairs, cutlery and even setting fire to their belongings, a catalogue of brainless acts caused by idiots who had no thought for the suffering they caused. This club has now had to fold due to the hassle experienced by the elderly club members.

Now any night in the week you will find a gang, sometimes 20-strong playing football, cricket, cycling or just creating mayhem, a lot of this behaviour being fuelled by booze, evidence of which can be seen the following morning by the empty cans and bottles smashed all around the club house. We have also seen evidence of other unmentionable activities! On many occasions we have asked the police and the council for protection only to be told they are 'prioritising our request'!

The council spent £65000 for the updating of the park including providing a 'five-a-side' football pitch and the locals are happy with the improvements generally but the football pitch is a very botched job full of rocks, uneven, floods easily lacking drainage and grass which means that the youths all end up on the bowling green and because of this the green deteriorates every day and is becoming just like a barren space.

The vandalism has reached awesome proportions and bowling is becoming a waste of time, unfair to other teams and no pleasure to our members. If things to not improve considerably we will have to go at the season's end.

It should be mentioned that there are some young people who actually use and enjoy the park and do not cause any trouble, in fact they themselves have expressed their disgust and concern about the problems we have been experiencing and have offered their help in removing the graffiti from the club house.

Having worked hard all our lives we retired to the area and took up what we thought would be a relaxing and friendly pastime in good company but have changed all this by slowly wrecking the bowling green and regularly doing some sort of the damage to the club house. Jubilee Gardens have suffered similar problems and their team arranged to play on our green until their own green was repaired but even they cannot cope with our problems and have elected to move to another green.

This is a cry for help to Wyre Borough council. Please fence in the green and club house to help us bring back the happy days. Can we thank you in anticipation otherwise we will be forced to terminate our arrangement.

This statement has been prepared on behalf of the committee and all members of the club.

Cleveleys North Drive Bowling Club