TAVISTOCK Sir Francis Drake Bowling Club has announced that it has been successful in receiving a grant of £10,000 from the Big Lottery Fund (Awards For All).

Members of the club were delighted to learn of the grant, which will be used to build new integrated toilet facilities, including disabled.

A couple of years ago the club, based on Plymouth Road, received a £50,000 grant from Sport England for a new extension to the clubhouse, which was completed last year ready for the club's centenary celebrations. The new toilets are planned to join the new extension.

Tavistock Bowling Club submitted a grant application at the end of October last year to the Big Lottery Fund and was delighted to receive the top level amount of £10,000.

Club chairman Tony Smith said this grant would help benefit Tavistock further: 'We are very grateful to Big Lottery for providing this grant. Our current toilet facilities are rather old and some distance from the main building.

'We hope to commence the building work at the end of January.'

The bowling club is going from strength to strength and currently has nearly 100 members, including short mat bowlers, but more members are invited to join. For more information visit tavistockbowlingclub.co.uk

Mr Smith added: 'We would like people of all ages to come down and play bowls.

'We want to upgrade the club, get more people in and provide a service to the town and encourage people to play bowls.'