Leamore Bowlers

Leamore Park

 

The Blakenall War Memorial Committee purchased the land at a cost of £700 in the late 1920's. On 13th December 1930 a deed was drawn up in which the Council receved £8,000 from The Miners' Welfare Fund to "provide a Recreation or Pleasure Ground for the use of the inhabitants of Walsall" and was the first playing field to be created in Staffordshire. 

 

The park became home to a number of successful teams playing bowls, cricket, football and tennis. Around 1955 The park was renamed "Leamore Playing Fields" and a building constructed for Leamore and Blakenall Sons of Rest.  Leamore Playing Fields passed into the control of Walsall Metropolitan Borough who agree to hold the park in trust and allow it to be used "as Playing Fiields and/or Pleasure Ground for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of both sexes of Walsall and for no other purpose whatssoever" alas the park fell into decline.

 

The Pavilion was burnt down and rebuilt, and the bowling greens and tennis courts fell into disrepair. A new pavilion was built, alongside the Sons of Rest Building.

 

This Sons of Rest building, was demolished in the 1980's and a new one built, which fell into disrepair and was closed in January 2009. A series of arson attacks promoted the decision to finally demolish the building in 2010. The Sons of Rest group now have the use of the park pavilion.

 

In 2006, Walsall's New Deal for Communities agreed a package of improvements to the park totaling £830,909.00 as part of £52million funding from the Government granted in 2001. The work started in January 2007 and was finished during the summer of 2007. The improvements include the re-instatement of crown green bowling, two tennis courts, a wildlife garden that can be used as an outdoor classroom by local schools, a skate park and new formal gardens.

 

Once the bowling green was laid and opened for use in 2008, Walsall's New Deal for Communities commissioned county trainer John Morley  to teach anyone who wanted to learn to bowl. Leamore Bowlers was formed by these first bowlers, as a sub group of the existing Leamore and Blakenall Sons of Rest who were approaching 60 years of continuous occupancy in the park.

 

New Deal funded the installation of a "Davy Lamp" to recognise Leamore's past as a mining area, the last mine in Walsall Wood closed in the 1960's.

 

Since then the bowling group have gone from strength to strength, joining 3 crown green leagues, and one indoor league.  In the park we have added an additional shelter to the green, protected the ditch with rubber chips, and are fully active in maintaining the green and pavillion.