WE write in connection with the recent news about the Ryedale Indoor Bowls Club being sold off.

We are most concerned about this information. As relatively new residents in Pickering, one of the pulls of this area was the indoor bowls club.

We are also aware that closing this facility flies in the face of the Localism Act 2011, which has a key aim of “providing new powers to help save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and giving voluntary and community groups the right to challenge local authorities over their services”.

As recent retirees, we feel that Ryedale District Council should be doing everything possible to promote the health and wellbeing of the community. Bowls is a very social activity and many bowlers have just this one hobby which may be their only form of exercise and contact/social interaction.

To remove this may be condemning some people to a very lonely existence, especially through the winter months. The nearest alternative indoor club would be a considerable drive away at either Scarborough or York.

We would also draw your attention to Ryedale District Council’s own website. Under the heading ‘Sports, clubs and centres’, the Active Living Section asks:- “What is Active Living All About?

Active living is a way of life that incorporates physical activity into daily routines such as walking, cycling, dancing, gardening, heavy housework and using the stairs, as well as taking part in sport or organised activities.

There are lots of opportunities to get fit, have fun and meet new people.

The key to living a healthy life is to make a few positive changes at a time and remember that small changes can lead to big benefits”.

We understand that many activities are run at the bowls club, ie social dances, weddings, clubs, dining, blood donor sessions etc, which would all be lost.

We have been told that Community Leisure Limited, the trust which runs Derwent Pool had shown an interest in the bowls club, but has been ignored.

P & H Stonehewe Pickering