Residents bowled over by our team’s drive for sporting passions

Our team first discovered just how much the sport meant to some of our residents when Jill Barlow, 94, asked to visit Roundwood Bowls Centre in Ringland as part of our Make a Wish initiative in April.

The trip was such a success that our home has since formed an ongoing connection with the club, with residents now enjoying monthly visits.

Jill moved into Brooklands in November last year and first started playing bowls when she was 64.

“I love the camaraderie and the company when I play bowls,” she said. “I used to play in competitions and leagues, and I made a lot of good friends through the sport.”

“I played in the ladies’ and mixed leagues, and I used to go with my husband, sometimes three times a week. I enjoyed watching the league at Great Yarmouth during the summer too.”

Our team were only too happy to arrange Jill’s Make a Wish visit and have loved discovering that several of the residents were keen bowlers and some had previously played at Roundwood, making the regular return visits particularly special.

“I like the people at Brooklands and the atmosphere,” Jill added. “I love these trips to Roundwood because I remember playing there and it takes me back a long way. It’s lovely that people recognise me.”

Fellow resident Avril Grapes, 82, moved into our home 18 months ago. She first played bowls in 1987 with her husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law at Taverham Village Hall before the sport became a big part of her life.

Avril went on to become an active figure in local county-level bowls, while her late husband Roy was president of the English Short Mat Bowls Association (ESMBA).

“The team here are so friendly and I’m grateful to them for helping me continue playing the game I love” she said. “They don’t even get fed up of picking up the bowls and handing them back to us so we can keep playing!”

“I love our bowls trips and meeting and chatting to different people when we play. I love being part of a team because that’s when you play your best. I’m still competitive too, I like to try and outplay the others.”

The trips are arranged by Laure Van Minden, lifestyle lead at Brooklands.

“It’s wonderful to see our residents rekindling their love of past hobbies like this and finding so much joy in the practice of the game” she said. “It’s very important to them and the trips are bringing back lots of happy memories.

“The residents who used to bowl at this club have enjoyed being back and the team at the club remembered them too, which was lovely.

“We are always welcomed with open arms and looked after so well by the club’s coaches, Barry and Maureen. It’s only ten minutes away in our minibus, so we’re incredibly lucky to have somewhere like this on our doorstep.

“Our residents get so much from being back on the mat. There is the encouragement, friendly competition and the social side, which are great for their self-esteem and sense of wellbeing, but there are also all those memories, which reconnect them with an important part of their lives.”

Home manager, Julie Robinson said: “We want all our residents to continue living a full life with meaning and purpose, and it means everything to us to be able to support them to do that.

“It is also important to us to keep our residents connected to the community and the hobbies they enjoy, because it gives them a sense of belonging and reinforces their sense of identity. Moving into a care home shouldn’t mean leaving those parts of your life behind.”

Brooklands Care Home on Costessey Lane, Drayton, is a 64-bedroom home, which offers high-quality residential, nursing and specialist dementia care. Brooklands is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and is known for its community spirit. It was named a finalist in the Putting People First category at the East of England regional finals of the Great British Care Awards in 2025 and the home has been named a finalist for the same category again this year. The team pride themselves on embracing individuality and supporting each resident’s unique needs, interests and abilities.