Peterborough bowling alley boss furious with government at last-minute delay to reopening plans

The government had previously announced on July 17 that bowling alleys would be allowed to re-open under covid-secure conditions from Saturday, August 1. But in a late announcement on Thursday last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson backtracked on the date, postponing further lifting of restrictions including the return of wedding receptions and reopening of indoor entertainment venues in England until August 15, due to an increase in covid-19 infections across England.

This includes plans to reopen casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks, to allow indoor performances to resume, and to allow wedding receptions of up to 30 people.

Sports events to pilot the return of fans have also been cancelled.

National chain Hollywood Bowl runs a branch in Bretton and had been all set to reopen, bringing in staff and taking bookings for lanes under coronavirus precautions. The company had thanked everyone who supported its #BringBackBowling campaign.

A furious Stephen Burns, chief executive of Hollywood Bowl Group said: “This is incredibly disappointing and unexpected. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest that bowling is less safe than other activities which have been allowed to reopen and remain open.

“We have taken every possible precaution to make sure our customers can socially distance in our spacious centres with extensive hygiene protocols in place.

“To hear this news at the last minute is devastating for our team members and customers looking forward to returning.”

Hollywood Bowl, with 1,900 employees and 60 centres across the UK, is the country’s biggest operator of ten-pin bowling centres and has in recent weeks been leading the charge in urging the Government to get Britain back bowling or risk industry job losses and business closures.

The company launched a campaign earlier this month, titled, #BringBackBowling, after ten-pin bowling centres were not able to reopen along with other leisure and hospitality businesses on July 4.

Despite industry-wide adherence to government social distancing and Covid secure guidelines to ensure centres were safe and ready to welcome back customers, the doors remain closed due to ongoing government restrictions.

Hollywood Bowl, together with the Ten Pin Bowling Proprietors Association, UK Hospitality and other bowling business owners, were urging the government to reconsider their position to protect 8,000 industry-wide jobs, many currently on furlough, and bowling centre closures.

Mr Burns says they and the industry are at risk: “Ten-pin bowling is a sector that is ready to operate in a Covid secure manner. We have worked incredibly hard to ensure we are adhering to the operational protocols around social distancing policies, capacity management and sanitisation and are more than ready to welcome back friends and families to enjoy themselves in a fun and safe environment within our spacious centres.”

In 2019, the industry’s value to the UK economy was said to be £310 million. At the heart of the community, Mr Burns says ten-pin bowling centres are often anchor tenants in larger leisure and retail parks, meaning they also boost other businesses such as nearby shops and casual-dining restaurants. In keeping ten-pin bowling centres closed, he says that not only are thousands of families missing out on an affordable, fun activity that they can all enjoy together, but other local businesses also suffer despite being allowed to reopen.

He highlights other factors in favour of ten-pin bowling centres being allowed to open - they are well-ventilated, large, open spaces meaning they can be easily adapted for social distancing. Hollywood Bowl centres, as an example, average around 29,000 sq ft in size. He says bowling balls are made of low-risk material, being non-porous and easy to sanitise between games.

Gary Brimble, General Secretary at the TBPA adds: “Bowling centres have been closed for more than three months and fully expected to be reopening with other hospitality and leisure businesses on July 4. Our Covid-safe measures allow for a safe environment for both our customers and staff and our spacious layouts are easily adapted for social distancing. Let’s get bowling again, bring some fun back for our customers, protect the jobs of the 8,000 staff and prevent the closure of many bowling centres.”

Hollywood Bowl’s social media feed has seen an outpouring of emotion about the decision.

One woman said: “I literally just booked 15 minutes before Boris announced the extension for tomorrow, how do I go about getting a refund, it was for my daughter’s birthday as well and now I’m £60 down the drain for however long .”

Another woman said: “We booked last week for my son’s birthday next Friday, I haven’t the heart to tell him, he’s only four going on five.”

Another customer commented: “Why can Boris allow beauty salons, etc. to open but not bowling, frustrating!”