What started as a request for £500 funding turned into a passionate debate about the future of Rye Bowls Club at the town hall on Monday July 1. Rye Town Council’s meeting was dominated by the worries that the sports club was “dead in the water” if decisions are not made quickly by Rother District Council (RDC), with Rye councillors vowing to help.
Ian Scott from Rye Bowls Club also told the meeting how he feared the town could be left with a “building falling into disrepair and a patch of grass nobody cares about”. To save money, RDC has cancelled the current grounds maintenance contract that supports both the bowls and cricket clubs on The Salts.
Whilst Rye Cricket Club is continuing to discuss working with RDC, Rye Bowls Club sees the current offer of support as unworkable. Ian Scott says the finances and restrictions make no sense. “They’ve offered us a lease that gives us nothing. We want to use the club for more events and to make it play a greater role in the community. None of that can happen without a more flexible licence from RDC. It’s financially unviable.” The club has been given a deadline of the end of November to reach an agreement.
Councillors praised Rye Bowls Club for doubling its membership and the recent publicity drive. This weekend Rye Chamber has organised a fundraiser on Saturday July 6, with an open day taking place at the club on July 27.
The restrictions in the lease suggested by RDC also include a ban on advertising at Rye Bowls Club – both on the club house and around the ground. Ian Scott told the meeting without promotion the club can’t succeed. “We need to have something that announces we are here. Every week when people see us playing it brings us new members.”
Councillors noted a ban on adverts at the bowls club seemed at odds with other organisations being allowed to put up boards and hoardings without prosecution in Rye. “Ridiculous,” said Cllr Bernadine Fiddimore. “Why on earth is the bowls club being treated differently?” said Cllr Jo Kirkham.
Earlier in the year a spokesperson for RDC told Rye News: “To support clubs in continuing their sports, we have offered peppercorn licences or leases of the land they use so they can manage the grounds maintenance themselves.”
After a vote to agree the extra funding, Mayor Andy Stuart – himself a member – told Rye Bowls Club it had the enthusiastic support of Rye Town Council: “We wish you well!”
The meeting then turned – inevitably – to discuss Rye’s public toilets. Cllr Andi Rivett was praised for his hard work in ensuring the toilets on the Strand were able to re-open last week. Councillors voted for work to begin on re-opening the toilets in the Gun Garden, with a longer-term solution to be explored as part of ongoing budget discussions. Both sets of toilets were closed last November because of cost cutting at RDC.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Can anyone tell me the difference two clubs playing on two different areas of the Salts,one given permission to advertise sponsors,and the other denied by Rother District Council.
Well done Rye TC for supporting the Bowls Club in a financially material way. To answer John’s question above; the meeting was told that Rother DC refused permission for the Bowls Club to put up sponsors’ boards as they could be a distraction to car drivers on the main road. Whereas others – ie the Cricket Club were given permission, as their sponsors’ boards could only be seen by those on the Cricket Salts such as the players of the three adult teams and the parents of the 70 or more children (girls as well as boys) who get the opportunity to receive coaching and play sport in one of the four junior teams on the Cricket Salts
But…but… Rother had no problem with the bright electronic signs in the shop windows at Skinners Roundabout. Surely those are much more likely to distract drivers!
Rye cricket club is a very important part of our community. We need to do everything we can to nurture it and safeguard its future.
I have been involved with the club for a few years now and I am constantly amazed by the dedication, drive and sheer number of hours it’s members put in to making it the success it is.
Both my young sons play at the salts during the season, it is a superb place for them to meet other kids from around the area from different schools and backgrounds. Apart from being a great source of exercise the club teaches its youngsters respect, fair-play and how to interact with coaches, volunteers and other adults as they progress to the more senior teams.
It seems to me what RyeCC needs is RTC and RDCs full support to control their own destiny. It costs an awful lot of money to keep the cricket field looking as good as it does, money neither RTC or RDC seem to be able to afford.
RyeCC has been around for 270 years, let’s make sure it is still around in another 270 by supporting it any way we can.
My children train and play at Rye Cricket club. It is a fantastic local resource and needs to be protected. The coaches are great and have so much knowledge.
Philip says advertising boards would be a distraction to passing motorists on the main road, I disagree, if the advertising boards face inwards on the grass bank adjacent to te road,this would not distract motorists anymore than all other signs around the town, let’s have a level playing field,for all in this town.
With respect, what Philip actually said was “the meeting was told Rother DC refused permission for the Bowls Club to put up sponsors’ boards as they could be a distraction to car drivers on the main road”. He did not proffer his opinion on the validity of the councils stance.
I believe local sports clubs should be able to raise funds by advertising local companies on roadside signage. We have some very large hoardings along the roadside already in the station approach, at the entrance of Cyprus place and indeed, new ones on the Skinners roundabout.
Hello John Please let’s keep things correct. What I said in my post above was that it was reported at the recent Rye Town Council meeting that it was Rother DC who had refused permission for the Bowls Club to put up advertisements as they could distract motorists. Not me!
I agree with you about the hoardings issue at the Bowls Club. So please take it up with Rother and not me.
Overall the main issue, however much we all don’t like it, is that Rother DC are very shortly going to give up the maintenance of the Rye sports grounds and recreation areas. Hence the sports clubs together with Rye TC, have to come up with practical and pragmatic solutions to ensure that these Rye assets are maintained to a high standard
The great thing about the Cricket Club is that (as well as providing well organised sport and well managed sports training for a huge number of local children) is that it has budgeted for the grass maintenance equipment to ensure that the community asset of the Cricket Salts is managed for community use for the foreseeable future Let’s work together to do that