A BOWLING club which suffered vandalism earlier this year has been handed a welcome boost.

A much-needed new cooker has been installed in the kitchen at Hexham House Bowling Club. The cooker was donated by the Co-operative Funeral Care, following on from an earlier £500 donation. The bowling club’s Malcolm Robinson said: “We are grateful because the old cooker was over 30 years old and was very much past its sell by date.

“We have a lovely clubhouse here and this will enable the club to continue providing good quality catering for members and visitors.

In May, members of the bowling club expressed their frustration after the Hexham House grounds were plagued by incidents of anti-social behaviour.

The bowling green was covered in rubble, seats were damaged, and slates were removed from the clubhouse roof.

However, the setback did not stop bowlers from excelling during a productive summer. Hexham House won division four of the county-wide Clegg League. And the A-team won a knock-out cup, while the B-team finished runner-up.