Bowls players in Frome were pushed to their limits recently in a 24-hour bowl-a-thon, raising vital funds for the air ambulance in scorching heat.
Members of Frome Selwood Bowling Club including Ladies Captain Kathy Kingman and club secretary Mike Bishop completed the challenge on 23rd and 24th May for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity.
They played 12 hours of bowls on both days, the equivalent of six full-length games in temperatures over 30 degrees, raising £1,500 for the charity, which provides life-saving pre-hospital critical care.
“Even though it was hot, we survived,” said Mike, who collapsed during the challenge.
“I am not sure exactly what happened at the time I collapsed,” he said. “I know I went and had a cool drink but took in too much and started coughing. Luckily my wife was close by, so I asked her to pat me on the back, but the next thing I knew was looking up and seeing her over me calling my name. We think it was a combination of choking and the heat.
“I was fine after a short rest. On Sunday, when we started at 9am, it was already hotter than any time during Saturday.”
To give Mike time to recover, club President Mike Geake stepped in to play. After the next break, Mike Bishop was feeling better and able to continue playing. The committee then decided that the 12 hours could be completed with the help of other bowls players.
Mike expressed the club’s heartfelt appreciation to all the businesses who supplied prizes for the raffle and the general public who purchased raffle tickets in the hundreds in the weeks leading up to the event.
He said, “Huge thanks to my daughter Michele who donated the £100 first prize from Bishop Jones Chartered Accountants of Wells plus all the other prize givers.”
The club would also like to thank all who helped over the weekend.
