People living with sight loss are being invited to take part in a free monthly indoor bowls session in Fakenham – where players including someone who is completely blind are demonstrating that vision impairment is no barrier to taking part.
The sessions, which are organised by Norfolk sight loss charity Vision Norfolk, take place on the first Friday of every month at Gallow Indoor Bowls Club in the town.
They are run by volunteers Roger and Rosamund Johnson, who say that those taking part enjoy the social aspect alongside the opportunity to take part in the sport.
The level of sight loss varies among participants, from those with blurred vision as a result of glaucoma, through to players who have no vision at all.
Included in those is 74 year-old Mike Davies from Hindringham, who has been completely blind since he was 27. He is guided by Roger Johnson, who stands a little way up the green and provides audible cues as to where Mike needs to bowl.
“I absolutely love it,” says Mike, who took up the sport a year ago. “The way the session is run means I can take part in a sport which I never thought I could do. And the social side is really important as well; it’s a really friendly group and I look forward to getting out and having a natter with them every month as well as getting on the green.
That view is backed up by regular participant Bob Maple from Fakenham, who has no central vision and limited peripheral vision as a result of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Bob had a career in the RAF specialising in electronics before running his own garage business in the town.
“There is no doubt that it’s a challenge to play bowls when you can’t see properly, but I have found that I really enjoy it, and I can actually play quite a good game now. It just goes to show that you can do anything if you try; if you don’t try, you will never know.”
The monthly indoor bowls sessions are part of Vision Norfolk’s extensive programme of social, leisure and sporting activities aimed at vision impaired people in the county. They take place on the first Friday of each month from 2pm to 4pm at the Gallow Indoor Bowls Club on Hempton Road in Fakenham.
To find out more contact Abbi Waters on 01603 660808, or visit www.visionnorfolk.org.uk/bowls.
