Arsonist devastates Cambridge bowls club
Members of a bowls club that was gutted by fire following a suspected arson attack have sworn to “never give up” on the game in spite of a string of attacks on their building.
The group, made up mainly of pensioners, enjoys weekly bowls matches and a social meet-up at the pavilion in Alexandra Gardens, Cambridge.
But their clubhouse has been forced to close for the foreseeable future after fire ripped through the building at 5.30am on Saturday (September 9).
The president of the Alexandra and Beehive Bowls Club, John Drayton, said: “We were alerted by local residents on Saturday morning that the fire brigade and the police were there at our bowls green. We got to look inside on Monday when the council opened it up and it’s been very badly damaged.
“Half the ceiling is down.There’s a lot of smoke damage. We have no toilet facilities now. All of our club photos and memorabilia are destroyed. Windows have been smashed through the far end and we’re told it’s suspected arson.
“The pavilion is all locked up and we can’t play any more. Normally we would continue to meet up until the end of October. This is a lovely friendly club and it’s a really important focal point for members’ social lives. Our oldest member is 93. I just don’t understand why someone would do this.”
Cambridge fire crews were called at 5.39am on Saturday and used a hose reel to extinguish the blaze and positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the smoke.
A police spokesperson said: “A crime has been raised for arson and is pending further investigative opportunities. Anyone with information should contact police online or via 101 quoting reference 35/67641/23.”
John revealed that the pavilion has been targeted many times. He said: “We’ve had so much trouble down there. It just makes you want to give up really, but we’re not going to. We had a defibrillator on the wall that cost us £1,500 and that lasted about two months before somebody pinched it. Now we have to raise money to buy another.
“Tiles have been ripped off the roof. We have had graffiti all over the place. We’ve had a door kicked in. There are rough sleepers who lay about behind the building and I had to remove a load of clothes that they had left there. I don’t think anybody’s got a grudge against us. I just think they decide they want to break things.
“My friend said to me, ‘Shall we just pack up, John, and go to a club where nobody graffitis it or sets fire to it?’ But I said, ‘No, we’re not going to give up’. We’ll carry on regardless.”
Cllr Sam Carling, executive councillor for open spaces, confirmed the council would aim to repair the club in April and said they were awaiting cost estimates. He added: “The main pavilion area and kitchen are the most affected, and in addition to contents which will need to be replaced (plus a substantial clean-up effort to address smoke damage) there also appears to be some structural damage to the pavilion.”
Following this incident and the theft of the defibriator, concerns will be shared at the next next multi-agency Cambridge Problem Solving Group about improving safety at the Alexandra Gardens site.
Cllr Naomi Bennett (Green, Abbey Ward) said: “There is unfortunately a whole set of problems with policing and safety on our green spaces. We need more places that are both affordable and safe and both younger and older people often have very few choices on places to go where they feel comfortable and welcome. And the cost of living crisis has made this even worse. If you are broke, your opportunities for social life are restricted, maybe non existent. And if being lonely makes you demoralised and depressed, which makes it harder to deal with your money problems. And Cambridge is positively blessed in social spaces compared to some of the villages, even quite close to Cambridge. Or some of the new areas.”
