A South Cumbrian Crown Green bowling club has been given a £1,100 boost.
Thirteen teams use the King Alfred Bowling Club in Walney, which has been active for over 100 years.
It is next to the King Alfred Hotel, which has been recently sold, but its former owners have retained the green and given the club a 25-year lease.
Although it gives the club greater security, it means it has to fund additional costs.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s Furness Locality Board has given a £1,100 grant to the club so it can replace ageing and rotting wooden edging to the green with composite planks and stakes.
Club greenkeeper Martin Barrow said the old edging meant the grass was getting damaged every time it was mown.
He added: “The composite should last my lifetime and everybody else’s really. It shouldn’t move now, so it won’t need to be done again.”
The work was done by volunteers from the club.
Club members range in age from 12 to 82.
It has an ongoing relationship with South Walney Primary School. Dave Whitehead added: “if we can coach children and a few of them start to play, then happy days because there aren’t enough kids in the game at the minute! They took to it really well so now as part of their PE, they include crown green bowls.”
The club also hosts a charity competition every year. This year they raised £450 which was divided between Furness MND, Cardiac Risk in the Young and Walney Under-8s football.
