Award-winning columnist Clare Greenwood joins Billingshurst Bowling Club as Writer-at-Large

Settling into a new life in Sussex, award-winning columnist and author Clare Greenwood is embarking on a journey to discover the beating heart of modern Britain. She believes Billingshurst Bowling Club may just be one of the places where its pulse is strongest - and where its community continues to keep it that heart pumping.

Billingshurst Bowling Club is delighted to announce that acclaimed journalist, author and feature writer Clare Greenwood has joined the club as its new Writer-at-Large, bringing one of Britain's most respected storytelling voices to the village green.

After more than two decades writing award-winning long-form features for several national publications, Greenwood recently relocated to West Sussex to begin work on her latest book, Clubhouse Britain: Beyond the Scoreboard – The Hidden Communities That Keep British Sport Alive. The book follows her journey through Britain's grassroots sports clubs, exploring the volunteers, traditions and friendships that quietly keep local communities thriving.

Her appointment marks the beginning of a new editorial initiative at the club, with Greenwood producing regular features that look beyond the scorecards to explore the people, traditions and stories that make Billingshurst Bowling Club such a special place.

Greenwood's career began on the pioneering sports website The Final Whistle before she moved into regional journalism, until finally answering the call of the nationals. A talented synchronised swimmer in her youth, she narrowly missed selection for Great Britain's Olympic development programme before turning her attention to journalism.

A year spent travelling through rural India documenting village cricket proved to be a defining moment.

"I thought I was writing about cricket," Greenwood said. "Instead, I realised I was writing about community. The matches gave me a reason to be there, but the people were always the real story. Since then I've been searching for the places that keep British sport alive - not the stadiums or television studios, but the clubs where generations meet, volunteers quietly get on with things and communities are built one conversation at a time. Billingshurst Bowling Club feels exactly like one of those places. Like a new home"

Greenwood's regular columns will move beyond the traditional match report to explore the friendships, humour, volunteer spirit and quiet rituals that sit behind every fixture, bringing to life not just the bowls, but the people who make the club what it is.

"The scoreboard tells you who won. I'm far more interested in the stories of the people who are racking up the points."

Club community rallies behind Chairman's Charity, raising £310 for the RNLI

The generosity of Billingshurst Bowling Club members has helped raise £310 for this year's Chairman's Charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

From the annual Charity Day drive and raffles to spiders and the many smaller fundraising moments that bring members together throughout the season, the money raised will help support the RNLI's lifesaving work around the UK's coastline.

The fundraising effort is another example of the club's strong community spirit. Throughout the year, members regularly come together to support charities and local causes, proving that the club's greatest strength isn't just what happens on the green, but the friendships and generosity that exist around it.

Each year, the Chairman chooses a charity close to his heart. Previous beneficiaries have included the Air Ambulance Service, Age UK Horsham, The Brain Tumour Charity, Parkinson's UK and Midhurst Palliative Care.

This year, Chairman Barry selected the RNLI, inspired by a lifelong affection for the charity.

"The RNLI has always been a favourite charity of mine," said Barry. "I can still remember Lifeboat Day at school, when we'd proudly buy the little paper lifeboat lapel pins. It's a charity that's stayed with me ever since, so I'm incredibly grateful to everyone at the club who supported this year's fundraising. Whether you bought a raffle ticket, took part in a spider, played in the Charity Day or simply donated, every contribution helped us reach this fantastic total."

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and helped make this year's Chairman's Charity such a success.