Napier students make a film about Braid Bowling Club to boost membership and spotlight older community.
The students work with Braid Bowling Club. It is one of Edinburgh’s oldest bowling clubs. Many bowling clubs struggle today and used to thrive in their communities. Now, memberships decline, and young people lose interest.
Braid Bowling Club sits in Cluny Gardens. It has a classic clubhouse and green. The club started in 1890, over a century ago. They had 180 members in the 1980s, but now, the club has only about 80 members. The club needs at least 140 members to stay open.
Ivor Yule is the club’s secretary. He says the club is hidden, people don’t know it exists, and they are always seeking new members. Braid Bowling has an aging population, and some members are 92. Few young people want to bowl. Clubs wonder about staying open.
Ivor and Robert Martin welcomed the film students and saw it as a chance to get help. The students’ film is called “Bowl.” It is about Arthur, an elderly man with arthritis, whose club might close. He bowls against Norma, his rival, and then realizes what matters most to him.
Saoirse Gillespie wrote “Bowl.” She says bowling clubs are important to her family. She wanted to show their community value. Her grandma made friends at a club after her husband died and even travels with them.
John Kelbie directs the film. He grew up at bowling clubs and saw his grandma socializing. Bowling clubs were important spaces. Four team members have family ties to bowling, and they bring those connections to the film.
The students want to tell unheard stories and hope to engage with local people and issues. They hired a local actor to play Arthur. He is an elderly gay man with arthritis who bowls.
Older auditionees said the film was amazing. They felt young people valued older social spaces. “Bowl” reflects Braid Club members’ lives. Arthur learns to bowl left-handed due to arthritis, just like club members handle similar health issues and keep playing the game they love.
Their bowlers cope with knee, hip, or shoulder problems. A champion learned to bowl left-handed after hurting her right hand and learned to play with what she had. The students’ stressed community and socializing and, the club seeks these things too. Many visit to play or socialize.
The film crew is shooting “Bowl” in late February. They plan to donate to the club after filming. The students raised over £2,100 to finance the project. The club received a good portion of this money.