Alicia Kearns MP visited Melton and District Indoor Bowls Club (M&DIBC) to try her hand at bowls and hear more about the Club’s role in the local community.
At the Club Alicia met with Chris Fleckney (Director and Company Secretary), Carol Pick (Club President), Dave Pick (Men’s Captain and coach), Dave Armstrong (Director – marketing) and Sue Fleckney (Director and Press Officer).
M&DIBC is open to all, with an active disability bowls section and two motorised bowls wheelchairs funded recently by Sportsed through Bowls England. There are also implements to help puck up bowls, in addition to sticks to lean on.
Alicia Kearns MP, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton said:
"I really enjoyed visiting M&DIBC and seeing the amazing facilities they have offer which they have worked hard to make so accessible for everyone. We are so lucky to have this community hub locally, and it’s wonderful to see the Club up and running again following the pandemic.
“The Club has such an active role in our community, providing regular local sports and social events for those of all ages, from young children up to 90-year-old+ members, to also providing support on an international level, hosting wonderful fundraising events to help our friends in Ukraine.
“I would encourage anyone who’s interested to get involved and sign up to the free coaching available to those who would like to try their hand – you certainly won’t regret it!”
Martin Cooke, Chairman of M&DIBC said:
“We were delighted to welcome Alicia to M&DIBC last Friday and would like to extend our sincere thanks for the time she took out of her busy schedule to see first hand what we can offer the local and wider communities, both as a premier sports facility and as a community hub where we welcome people of all ages to enjoy our social events and first-class restaurant. We are proud to have both junior and senior members of our club competing at national and international levels, as they represent not only the club, but also the town of Melton Mowbray itself.
“We are pleased that Alicia enjoyed her visit and we thank her for taking a genuine interest in our Club’s history as well as in our planned future projects, as we strive to maintain our hard-won position as one of England’s leading indoor bowls clubs.”
M&DIBC moved to their current site in 1987 and currently have 550 members from a 30-mile radius.
The Club was designed and built by a group of dedicated outdoor Melton bowlers who wanted an indoor venue for the Winter months. Since then the Club has attracted some of the world’s greatest players, hosting the national championships.
