ST Martins Bowling Club are in line for a major boost to their activities after a securing a £57,000 grant from Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund.

The money will go towards meeting some of the costs of improving the main clubroom.

"The club has long planned to extend the use of the club by playing bowls indoors in the winter months, and the award will help towards the costs," said secretary David Tolson.

“Since the move to the new site behind Asda, the club had maintained the outdoor green to national standards, welcoming players and competitors from all parts of England and Wales. The high standard of the new facilities built by Asda has encouraged new members to try the sport and the new players learning to play has ensured full use of the outdoor Green throughout the summer months.

“As a result, it has been clear that the club had quickly outgrown the clubroom, and three years ago, constructed additional changing rooms for players use in the summer months. "These have been very popular and have gone a long way in meeting the demands of the outdoor summer game played on the green.

"But the limitations of space within the clubroom was making it more and more difficult to continue with extra activities being promoted by the club indoors in the winter, and has prevented the Club from developing any meaningful activity at the end of the season.”

Club president Jim Knowles added that the grant is something the club have always been waiting for.

"We will be looking to complete construction before the start of the outdoor bowling season next spring, and now face a race to have all the necessary permissions in place to start work on the scheme as soon as possible," he said.

“The improvements will increase the floor space in the clubroom by nearly 60% and will mean that it will be much easier for all our wheelchair users to move around the indoor mat whenever we have to play indoors when it’s wet in the summer and through the winter months."

Knowles added that part of the grant will also help pay for new equipment storage facilities and the club will be looking to make new indoor facilities available to anyone thinking of taking up the sport when the scheme is completed.