Para Hills reaping rewards of grant
Bowlers at Para Hills have had the help of some brand-new shelters to keep them shaded from the sun so far this season.
The Para Hills Bowling Club recently installed all new shelters and tables between their greens, thanks to a grant received from the City of Salisbury Council.
Club president Daryl Bonney explained the process of acquiring the grant money from the council.
“It is quite an easy process,” he said.
“I have been successful in relation to grants from the Salisbury council a couple of times now.
“There are various ways to obtain money from councils and one would be grants they hand out on a monthly basis for smaller things, but something like the shelters came through the minor capital works grant.
“This was a process that included submitting what we required grants money for, with a couple of quotes of what we wanted to get done.
“Then you just had to submit it with all the appropriate information including who it is, what it is, what it is for, how the club would benefit from the grant money and the upgraded facilities.
“I have been fairly lucky where I have been able to work with the council and various departments in the years I have been president of the club, so I have had a fairly good relationship with a lot of people at the council and they made the whole process a lot easier.”
Daryl encouraged other bowling clubs to look into what grants might be available to them.
“Like most processes, if you go through it and follow the letter of the law and supply all the information required, it isn’t as scary as some people think,” he said.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions either.
“The councils are there to help any small groups or clubs.
“We are lucky that the council is our landlord as well, so they also benefit from whatever we do to the club facilities.
“It is not a process anyone should be scared of.
“As long as you have the right information and have got a genuine item you want to get grant money for, whether that is equipment or facilities and choose the right grant to apply for, you will be on the right track.”
Daryl said the new shelters, which were built by Felton Industries, are “fantastic”.
“The whole reason we got them was because we used to have old, retractable shade cloths, which the bowlers would have to reach up to pull down or up every day,” he said.
“The new ones are free-standing, with aluminum frames, and they are quite cool even in the hot weather.
“It is a lot less the members have to do on gameday and they look aesthetically pleasing as well.”
