Westhoughton Bowling club targeted by vandals

Now angry and upset members of the club are asking parents whether they know where their children are.

Westhoughton Bowling Club was targeted by vandals on Sunday.

It is the latest vandal attack at the club.

The flowers at the bowling club were knocked over onto the green making it unusable for members and large plants in pots were knocked over.

According to the bowling club secretary this is not the first time the club has been vandalised.

Vandals go on the rampage at bowling club

Lynda Winrow, secretary of Westhoughton Central Park Veterans Bowling Club, said: "This vandalism is a long recurring occurrence.

"Why they have to destroy things is beyond us.

"The council have long since done away with the park keepers, another so-called saving and the club cannot afford Wi-Fi and security cameras.

"The members all of whom are pensioners, work hard to try and keep the green looking good and the surrounding area.

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"We have also had to put up with them trying to set fire to the club, climbing on the roof attempting to break into the club and items of equipment stolen which we have to replace.

"The police seem to be powerless to come and help us due to limited resources."

In a social media post, a member of the club Bill Usher said the club is a great place for pensioners to socialise however it is disappointing to see it being ruined.

He said: "I belong to the bowling club in Central Park.

Westhoughton Bowling Club with volunteers who helped refurbish the club house in 2019

"It's a great place for us oldies to socialise while enjoying gentle exercise.

"So it is disappointing that some members of the Westhoughton community get their pleasure from vandalising the greens and flowers.

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"Do the parents reading this know where their children were last night?"

In response to the vandalism, both Cllr David Wilkinson and Cllr Gillian Wroe said they don't understand what people get out of this 'appalling activity'.

Cllr Wroe said: "The bowling club caters for the over-60s.

"It is a popular club and the playing members work hard to keep the greens, surroundings and the club house in good condition.

"It beggars belief that anyone should create such a mess with planters which the members had lovingly planted and tended.

"Part of the cost was paid for with a grant from Westhoughton Town Council.

"Two members of the club had to clean up the mess before anyone could bowl.

"It’s not the first time that the club has had problems.

"Unfortunately youths have been seen, in the past, climbing on the clubhouse to get into the grounds after the gates have been locked.

"I know that this sort of behaviour happens in other areas but it doesn’t alter the fact that we are all perplexed about what anyone gets out of this appalling activity."

Cllr Wilkinson said: "There are a whole list of good, talented young people in Westhoughton and Bolton who we often promote on our Facebook page because they are trying to do good things but it is sad that a very small number of youths, that for their own mindless pleasure, destroy things.

"It is a very small group of young people not all young people are like that, the vast majority are decent kids who just enjoy themselves.

"There are thirty at most who will pop up on the radar of anti-social behaviour compared to scores and scores and scores of kids who are involved in a lot of sport and charity work, who are just being productive and engaged.

"A lot of kids will have worked hard in the last few weeks with their GCSEs and so yes it is a minority but hopefully those responsible are caught and they are put through the youth justice system because they should be because they have destroyed things that people have tried to make better.

"And that is the sad thing, people do try and you get a small group of individuals who for some bizarre reason do this and I don't understand what pleasure they get out of it."