The much put upon members of Durants Park Bowls Club were treated to a surprise when they turned up at the clubhouse for their annual general meeting. The bowls club’s seven-foot high perimeter hedge had been set alight in three places during the night and was still smouldering.

This was the latest in a series of setbacks the club has suffered over the past couple of years. It began when a thief went to the trouble of dislodging an iron grille so he could break into the clubhouse through the kitchen window, damaging several kitchen tiles in the process. He got away with the cash register, which contained only small value coins.

A short time later, somebody tried to gain access to our equipment shed by using a crowbar to jemmy the door open. This venture was unsuccessful but it resulted in a lot of damage to the walls of the shed.

Next, our members, with an average age of around 70 years, while playing bowls, were subjected to a spate of youths throwing objects over the perimeter hedge at them. These objects included sticks and rocks.

In July, thieves entered our premises and launched a determined assault on the equipment shed. They managed to make a hole in the wall of the shed sufficiently large for a child to squeeze through and so were able to open the security door from the inside. They made off with both our petrol-driven lawnmowers, a scarifier and a wheelbarrow. In total, the value of the items stolen was around £5,000.

In addition to the enormous costs and inconvenience, these thefts have made it difficult for the club to obtain future insurance.

You will not be surprised to learn that the membership of Durants Park Bowls Club definitely disagrees with any move towards keeping Enfield parks open overnight. Indeed, we would support more security in the parks during twilight hours.

Graham Horscroft

Secretary, Durants Park Bowls Club