Chairperson’s message,
Wow ,what a fabulous July our DBE members are having—It all started with a Silver Medal for the DBE Outdoor Para Home Nations squad in Scotland followed with more and more our members fighting through the various county competitions and rain in the race to Royal Leamington Spa. We look forward to seeing them on the bowls greens in August, which once again will be a biggest showcase for inclusivity
of our sport on the largest bowls stage in England.
Congratulations to all the winners that will represent DBE, their club and county at this year Aviva Bowls England National finals 2024. I am looking forward to witnessing some excellent bowling and the top players crowned national champions 2024. We also had the great honour of friendly social fixtures against the Royal Household Bowls Club Windsor, Bridgman BC and with our fabulous supporters The Friends of English Bowling at Bredon BC
DBE Competition Schedule – Aviva National Finals
This year to celebrate and showcase how far we have come as an organisation these past 40 years in England, we would like to do something different for our DBE events and hope you will give us your full support, to show we are still “ ONE TEAM DBE – PLEASE”
DBE Open Pairs Final
Sunday 25 Aug – 9.15am trials, 9.30am start – Live streamed tbc
Johnathan Stokes & Jack Pullin (DBE International Shirts) v Craig Bowler & John Greaves (Wellingborough Club Shirts)
DBE Open Singles Final
Thursday 29 Aug – 12.45pm trials, 1pm start – Live streamed tbc
Kieran Rollings (County Shirt v Fynn Kyser (DBE Red/Blue Shirt)
DBE Maggy Smith MBE North v South Challenge Shield
Saturday 31 Aug – 2pm start – (18 ends or 2hrs 15 min)
We would like to showcase how far we have come in the past 40 years and everybody to wear their outdoor club shirt apart from the 12 nominated skips who we would like to wear our traditional red/blue shirts please
DBE Mixed Ability Triples
Sunday 1 Sep – 2pm start (Everybody in DBE Red/Blue Shirts, blue bottoms)
I and my fellow trustees are very aware that there are many false rumours flying around about the future of Disability Bowls England (DBE) as a charity organisation which have been circulating around various social media sites and friendship groups which are causing extra stress and concerns for our membership. We wish to reassure everybody that we have been negotiating hard for the past 12 months with various organisations to ensure the future of Disability Bowls is safe and sound in England and the next chapters of our 40-year history can be written for ALL our membership and not just the selected few, we deliver what we promise and not sit back and let the other people do all the work then start rumours!!!
We ask once again that the people who are sharing these rumours in public think about the damage, they are doing to our negotiating process and position as more questions have to be answered, which in turn slows down a final agreement being signed off by all concerned and an official announcement then being made.!!!!
I have no hidden agenda nor am I on the Kings nomination list for a gong this Christmas; Judy is still employed by DBE (21 Hours a week); I and the rest of the Trustees & volunteers are not paid a wage by DBE: We have not spent any charity funds on ourselves. Every penny we have received can be accounted for as our fully audited accounts are published on the Companies House and Charity Commission web sites and finally, we still wear DBE shirts for all social fixtures and All DBE competitions.
To end on a very positive note – With the emergency financial savings we put in place at the end of last year and with the extra donations we have received since Christmas, we are actively planning to take part in the indoor season up to the EIBA National Finals in April 2025 and run Disability awareness, taster days and IBD Classification clinics . More information will be published once we are fully confident, and we have agreed way forward for ALL.
As always, I and the Trustees only have the best interest for Disability Bowls England Charity Trust and its Membership at heart and will continue to drive the organisation forward.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible throughout August and at the Aviva Bowls National Finals 2024.
Steve
DBE Chairperson