The Friends of Marlpit Lane Bowling Green are getting ready to tee off for a new season by offering re-opened pitch and putt and putting greens in the park from April 19.

Regular grass-cutting and husbandry is getting the putting greens in the Coulsdon Memorial Ground back in to use from April

Yesterday, volunteers from the Friends were hard at work from 8am to scarify the bowling greens, removing bag-loads of moss that damages the playing surface, in preparation for the re-opening of their bowling facilities next month.

The Friends moved in and saved the bowling green in Coulsdon Memorial Ground park after the council abandoned its maintenance in 2011, and 2014 will be their second summer of operations.

And this summer, as well as lawn bowls, they will also be hiring out golf equipment from the bowls club and handling tickets sales for people to use the pitch and putt course and putting greens.

Initially, the hut will be open every afternoon during the summer from 2pm.

Over the last eighteen months the Friends have restored the derelict bowling hut and performed emergency repair work on the green. The green is now in playing condition, although maintenance and upgrade work will continue through the season.

Once the season opens, casual bowlers can buy tickets from the hut, while season tickets are already available from the website. Costing £25, a season ticket covers play and equipment hire for the year. All funds go towards maintaining the green and equipment.

The maintenance of the pitch and putt is now being performed by the new park keepers, Quadroon.

There will be a special event to mark the opening of the bowls hut on April 19, and if it is too damp to play bowls, visitors will be able to talk to the members about future plans and the background of the project. Since the Friends started, there has been a massive growth in the park’s facilities, with the Poppy Cafe re-opened, an outdoor gym added and now the golf greens back in use.

• For more details on the bowling green facilities, visit the website here.

Coming to Croydon

• Fairtrade stall at Food Market, Haynes Lane, Mar 8
• Upper Norwood Library Book Club, Mar 15
• Norwood Society talk, Upper Norwood Library, Mar 20
• South Norwood Lakes Playground group workshop, Mar 25
• David Lean Cinema: Basically Johnny Moped, Mar 27-28
• Croydon Half-marathon, Mar 30
• David Lean Cinema: 12 Years a Slave, Apr 3
• David Lean Cinema: The Great Beauty, Apr 10
• David Lean Cinema: Inside Llewyn Davis, Apr 17
• David Lean Cinema: Short Term, Apr 24
• Crystal Palace Overground Festival, June 26-29

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