Chairperson’s report
We are just waiting for one more piece of the bigger jigsaw puzzle to be put into place before DBE trustees can update everybody on our future plans as an organisation and I am very sorry for the delay, but this is a very sensitive and emotional decision and we need to be 100% sure, its right for EVERYBODY not just a few in our DBE Family!
We have secured a donation from the Peter Harrison Foundation along with a number of other great fundraising donations, which will allow us to continue to grow the DBE family with Development/Taster Days, Support for Grassroots bowlers to International success, IBD Classification Clinics and deliver a full outdoor
fixtures/competitions programme which will take us through until the end of September 2024.
We are very pleased to be able to support “Team England” at the Learning Disability Indoor Bowls International Series at Falkirk IBC, Scotland (24-25 April) as they defend their Munro Cup Title and I am very pleased to inform the membership, we have accepted an invitation to attend the FULL INTERNATIONAL Para Home Outdoor Championships in Ayr, Scotland (28-30 June) against Scotland & Wales, unfortunately this will be part self-funded.
I also wish the thank English Bowling Association Charity Trust, Sporting Highlights Ltd, Bush Hill Bowls, DM Sports Turf Solutions, Aceit Sports and many bowls counties & clubs, family & friends for their support that has helped us to take a (SELF- FUNDED) representative Team of 25 Players, VIs Directors & family helpers to the International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD) World Cup Championships 18-31 May 2024 in South Africa which will be led by Sue Davies & Judy Plater and we wish them every success when they pull on the DBE Team England shirt.
As you can see the Volunteers Trustees and the Senior Management team have been working extremely hard to make all this happen, but all this comes at a cost (we lost £350 on the 2023/24 indoor season) and it’s now time for ALL the membership to stand up and be supportive of DBE, we don’t want to cancel any of the planned
Summer Fixtures, Events or Competitions, but will do if they are NOT SUPPORTED.
Finally, we are all human beings and do have feelings!!!!
We are Stronger Together
Steve Watson
DBE Chairperson