WELLINGTON Bowling Club, which has enjoyed considerable success over the past two years, has been named Club of the Year for the West Region by the sport’s governing body Bowls England.

They now go into the hat with three other regions to decide which club is the overall winner.

Tony Allcock MBE, chief executive of Bowls England, said: “We were delighted to receive a record number of entries in our Club of the Year competition from Cornwall in the West to Northumberland in the North. The standard was exceptional and the winning entries from each region stood out within their respective area. I am sure the judging panel will face a tough job in determining the overall winner.”

The regional winners are: North - Fitz Park BC, Cumbria; South - Gildredge Park BC, Sussex; East: White Hall BC, Essex; West - Wellington BC, Somerset

Each regional winner will receive two sets of Drakes Pride bowls, plus £50 cash and a framed certificate. The four regional winners now form the final shortlist from which the overall national winner will be selected whose total prize will include £250, four sets of Drakes Pride bowls, the Tony Allcock Trophy (to be kept for one year), a badge for each club member and a Celebration Match against a visiting Bowls England team in 2017.

The award was made based on how much a club has developed over the past year.

Wellington Bowling Club has been especially successful in attracting grant funding for building improvements, introducing bowls to local people who have never played the sport before, increasing the membership, and making the club disabled friendly.

Wellington Bowling club has been successful in recruiting a large number of over 50 new members in the past two years by recruitment teams attending several local and surrounding area events.

Wellington has been successful in obtaining grants from Viridor Credits, Taunton Deane Borough Council and Wellington Town Council which have paid for most of the building improvements, including the upgrade of its new roof, LED lighting, disabled access and toilet upgrade.

The club has received sponsorship from many businesses and contractors and members would like to thank everyone who has kindly supported the club and contributed to its success.