Ransomes has donated a Super Bowl pedestrian cylinder mower to Waldringfield & District Bowls Club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, after the club relocated itself to unused land which members have since renovated at Ransomes Sports Club on Sidegate Avenue.


L-R: Mick Souter, Committee Member, Valerie Pryke, Chairperson of Waldringfield & District Bowls Club, Bert Warne, President, Linda Nunn, Secretary, and David Schofield, Treasurer

Originally based in Waldringfield, the club was forced to move to Felixstowe & Suffolk Bowls Club, where they rented the use of a bowling green. In September 2016, the decision was made to relocate to Ransomes Sports Club due, primarily, to ever-increasing rental fees. An area of unused land was renovated by members of the bowls club to provide the nomadic club with a permanent home.

With limited funds to facilitate the relocation, Bert Warne, President of Waldringfield & District Bowls Club, and David Schofield, Treasurer of the Club, wrote a letter to Alan Prickett, Senior Director at Ransomes Jacobsen based in Ipswich. 

“I wrote to Ransomes on the off chance that they might have an old mower laying around that we could put to use on our recently renovated green,” Warne explained. “I was overjoyed when I received a reply from Mr. Prickett offering to help us out, but I was even more ecstatic when they delivered a brand-new Ransomes Super Bowl to us! Everyone at the club is extremely grateful for the generosity and support that Ransomes has given us.”

Commenting on the donation of the mower, Alan Prickett said: “Ransomes is one of the oldest established businesses in Ipswich, and has employed thousands of local people over the years. It is in our DNA to support local people, local clubs, and the local community in general. When I was approached by the club, I was touched by the lengths that its members had gone to in ensuring that the club could continue to provide enjoyment and pastime to so many people’s lives."

Renovation work included re-fitting the kitchen in the clubhouse and cladding the roof. Trees, hedges and weeds also had to be removed or relocated, and pipes fitted to provide water access to all four corners of the green. After seeking the services of sports ground contractor Ross Stannard, the green was scarified, top soil applied, and then a total of 100kg of grass seed was spread onto the surface.