A BOWLING club project to extend its locker room and include disabled toilet access hit the jack pot with a £10,000 grant from Peebles Common Good Fund (CGF).

Councillors agreed to help the £186,495 Peebles Bowling Clubhouse extension project at a meeting last Wednesday.

In its application statement Peebles Bowling Club said: “At present, for example, we have no indoor toilet for the use of male members, 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.”

After being told the project builder hoped to complete next March or April, Tweeddale East councillor Julie Pirone said: “I am minded to support this with £5,000 now and £5,000 in March or April.”

Committee councillors also agreed to reduce the golf course rent of its common good land over a 10-year period.

This came after Peebles Golf Club members appealed for help with a new irrigation scheme, installed in December last year, at a cost of £18,627.

The golf club increased the capacity of the irrigation system by installing a 50,000-litre water tank and new pump system, adjacent to Jedderfield Farm and work began in October 2023.

In its application to the CGF committee the golf club argued that the investment: “Maintains the town’s main sporting asset at a high standard; has a positive impact on the course’s playability for 600+ members; the improved playability attracts more visitors, who bring significant economic impact to the town (3,000 golf visitors per annum spending on golf fees and hotel nights); allows the green keeping team to focus on other elements of their workload and improved staff efficiency and has a long term benefit for the current investment.”

Before making the award, councillors reminded golf club members that retrospective applications for cash after work has been completed are not viewed well by funding bodies.

Tweeddale East councillor Marshall Douglas said: “ I think we could go back to the club and ask what other sources of funds they have looked at.

“Perhaps we could grant £1,500 over 10 years.”

Tweeddale East councillor Robin Tatler said: “The golf club has improved the piece of land and that is a benefit to the Common Good Fund.”