A BOOMING lawn bowling club is aiming to deliver a £300k revamp to ensure its facilities are fit for the 21st century.

The popularity of lawn bowling has surged in recent years among people of all ages.

That has certainly been the case at Peebles Bowling Club, at Walkershaugh, which has seen demand to access its greens and associated facilities grow steadily.

With membership growing the clubhouse needs to be extended and upgraded to meet both the demand and people’s expectations.

A planning application has been approved by Scottish Borders Council for side extensions to the clubhouse with internal alterations and for relocation of the existing storage building.

The work is to be carried out in two phases, with phase one costed at £186,495 and to be funded through a combination of grants, donations, and fundraising events.

Central to this phase is the provision of new modern toilets, male, female and disabled, and more locker and changing room space.

Next week members of the local authority’s Peebles Common Good Sub-Committee will consider a funding bid from the club for £10,000 towards the cost of the work.

A report to the committee says: “At present we have no indoor toilet for the use of male members and no disabled toilets, and visiting teams and general visitors must use a wooden hut to change and store their belongings.

“It will allow us to continue to attract new members to the sport of bowling.”

Peebles Bowling Club was established in 1829, at which time it occupied the green behind Castlehill.

In 1874 the club moved to Walkershaugh and has remained there ever since.

The clubhouse was extended in the 1970s with the addition of a locker room and in the 1980s when work was carried out on the bar area.