New Herrington Bowls Club hope they can keep adding new members when they celebrate Bowls' Big Weekend again this year.

The club will be opening its doors to potential new players over the weekend of 24-27 May, with free taster sessions on offer for those looking to have a go on the green.

It is all part of steady growth for the club since first taking part in the England-wide event in 2022 and secretary Barry Thomas is hopeful of a few more new faces this year.

“We have been taking part in Bowls' Big Weekend each year since 2022 and we have gained more members each time,” he said.

“The first time we did it we launched a flyer around the village and started a Facebook page as well.

On the day we provided tea and coffee, as well as bowls equipment and set up some games. It was all quite good fun and we have done it each year since and it seems to work for us.

“Hopefully we will get another few people along. The problem we have is we are a relatively small community on the edge of Sunderland so our options for new members are beginning to reduce a little bit. We are talking to the Scouts, the rotary club and are inviting groups along.”

Bowls’ Big Weekend will see clubs across the country encourage new players to the sport, with Bowls England providing support to clubs on how to get fresh faces through the door.

Thomas’ journey began almost a decade ago with short mat bowls which quickly got him hooked before he joined his local lawn bowls club.

A house move brought him to New Herrington four years ago and Thomas encouraged others to get down to their local club and give it a go over the May Bank Holiday.

“It’s easy to play but not so easy to master,” he added. “It’s family friendly and suitable for anybody regardless of size gender, ethnicity. It’s one of the few sports where men and women can compete with each other. It’s cheap to play and very sociable.”

To find your nearest participating club and sign up for a free session go to bowlsbigweekend.com