A BOWLS club for the visually impaired in the Amman and Gwendraeth Valley has grown from a club to a little community.
On Wednesday mornings, the Gwendraeth and Amman Bowling Society’s Visually Impaired Bowling Club hold sessions at the Dinefwr Indoor Bowling Centre in Ammanford.
The club was set up in 2015 for anyone of all ages and abilities who has a visual impairment. As well as the social and bowls aspect of the club, it is also a chance for members to discuss their problems and give tips.
One of the attendees is Carmarthenshire CONNECT client Rhianedd Jones. The 79-year-old said: “I love going to GABS as I can meet a lot of different people that have eyesight problems and give tips to each other.
“It’s a way of having respite from my husband and the things that happen in the club I can tell John about, and it brightens his day.”
The club is the brainchild of the society’s chairman Brian Hobart as there were no activities for people in the area who have visual impairments.
Brian said: “The centre had never done anything like this before, so we came to an arrangement and had an open day in August 2015, and we had enough interest to open a small club in September 2015.”
The club has now grown so there are six coaches and three rinks, and is now its own little community.
He continued: “We’re all visually impaired, none of us had played bowls before, we’re all at different standards and we’ve now got two medal winners for Wales.”
Christine Llewelyn signed up for Delta CONNECT for her husband Kenneth and is now a member of the club. She said: “I enjoy coming to the club and spending time with everyone. It is nice getting out of the house for a bit and catching up with friends.”
Delta CONNECT is an enhanced lifeline and telecare service available across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, which includes technology enabled care packages, proactive wellbeing calls, access to a 24/7 community response team and other wellbeing support and activities to help people live as independently as possible. The team supports non-medical emergencies like falls without injuries and other welfare needs.
They also encourage clients to take part in activities for their wellbeing.
Christine has used the response line a number of times when her husband fell at home. She said: “I remember one time, Kenneth had a fall in the garden and the response team was present at the scene within half an hour of pressing the lifeline.
“When Kenneth fell, there was no way I was able to pick him up without help. I am thankful for the response team.”
Rhianedd signed up to the service in 2021 for husband John and finds the welfare phone calls helpful. She said: “Tracy (from the proactive team) and I have become quite friendly during our talks. I look forward to them, it’s not just care, it’s friendship.”
Delta CONNECT is a Carmarthenshire County Council service funded by the Welsh Government’s health and social care regional integration fund through the West Wales Care Partnership Board and is free for the first three months. For more information, visit www.deltawellbeing.org.uk or call 0300 333 2222.
Gwendraeth and Amman Bowling Society’s Visually Impaired Bowling Club meets every Wednesday at Dinefwr Indoor Bowling Centre in Ammanford at 10am. For more information, contact the club on 01269 597969.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here