Worthing Indoor Bowls Club raises the money for a bespoke Bowls Royce wheelchair so popular member can continue her sport

Lorraine Allen-Collins was at the top of her game before she had her right leg amputated in 2018 as a result of sports-related injury. As she is profoundly deaf, she is unable to use a Bradshaw bowling wheelchair due to issues with balance, so could not continue without a specially-adapted model.

Worthing Indoor Bowls Club manager Alan Messer arranged for its annual charity fundraiser day in September 2022 to be focused on getting Lorraine Allen-Collins back on to the green and able to bowl.

Lorraine said: "The club, and my family, have been so supportive. I had been doing some charity fundraising for LimbPower and Alan said because of that, the club was going to do some fundraising for me. They realised how much I missed playing and that I was very isolated at home."

The club, based at Field Place, raised £1,500, half the cost of the wheelchair, and the rest was donated by the British Wheelchair Bowls Association.

Lorraine had her first try of the chair on Wednesday, February 8, and said it went well, although she had to make some adjustments to avoid hitting her hand on the wheel.

She added: "If I can play a quarter as good as I could when I had legs, I will be happy. My main aim is to get back to playing to a level when I had both legs and entering inter club competitions. I know with the help and support from the club that may just happen."

Lorraine has been a club member since 2014. She and her dad joined after her mum died and were soon playing regularly.

After her leg was amputated, she tried a prosthetic but because of a condition she has, it was too painful to wear, so she was not able to bowl. Then the pandemic struck and all club activities came to a halt for a while.

Once restrictions had been lifted, the club looked at what members could do to help Lorraine and fundraising to buy her an electric bowls wheelchair began.

Alan said: "We are a tremendous community resource supporting inclusion and it is nice to be able to help someone we know. We have a charity day at the beginning of the winter season in September, where we invite people to put in a team and have raffles and donations."

The Bowls Royce wheelchair has been custom made by Bush Hill Bowls in Surrey to fit Lorraine's needs.

She explained: "Because I am deaf, I need to be able to feel the back. It is made so I fit in it perfectly and adjusted for my legs, so when I sit in it, I won't fall out. When you are bowling, you just use the wheels as if it is your legs."

A formal handover of the wheelchair took place at the club's annual Benevolent Day on Saturday, February 18.