We are delighted to announce that John Durston has been awarded Bowls England Life Membership in recognition of his long and faithful service to the sport.

John, whose first bowls experience came in 1959 at City Of Wells BC, has been involved in General Administration of bowls for over an astounding fifty years.

John was then at Bridgwater BC before he joined Clevedon BC. At Clevedon BC, John served as Chairman for ten years and has also been President of the club.

He then took his involvements to County level as he served as Secretary and Chairman both for 10 years and had the honour of being President of Somerset Bowls Association in 1986. John also undertook roles as Competitions Secretary and Logistics Manager for Somerset.

Adding to his county duties, John engaged in roles for English Bowling Association and Bowls England. He has spent time on the Competitions, Development and Youth Development committees plus served 13 years as Chair of the disciplinary committee.  In this role overseeing Bowls England’s disciplinary work, his attention to detail and desire to see natural justice has been instrumental in positively resolving a whole array of issues.

Other roles that John has been a part of include:

• Council member of English Bowling Association/Bowls England for over 20 years
• Chairman and Match Secretary of Friends of English Bowling, both for three years
• Member of Barbarians Bowling Association for 25 years including President in 2013
• Member of Dennyside Bowling Association for 15 years

John’s award of Bowls England Life Membership now adds to his life membership of Clevedon BC and Somerset Bowls Association. He was also one of the first to receive the Bowls England Certificate of Merit in 2009.

His benevolent approach to his work was greatly received by those that had the privilege of working alongside John. He has shown exceptional commitment in each of his roles across club, county and national level. The inspired impact that John has had on our sport and his contribution to Bowls England have been invaluable.

John was visited by Bowls England’s Chair, David Tucker, and Bowls England’s Chief Executive, Jon Cockcroft, at his home in Bath where he received the award.

John said: “I was absolutely thrilled to have been awarded life membership of Bowls England. It was totally unexpected. I appreciate that I have been of service to Bowls England as Chair of the Disciplinary Committee, and although onerous, the work was something I enjoyed doing. It was with much reluctance that, due to health grounds, I had to step down. I join the six existing Life Members with much pride and I profusely thank the Bowls England Board for this prodigious award.”

David Tucker added, “It was an absolute pleasure to present John with Life Membership of Bowls England and add him to the select list of people who have contributed so much to our sport. He has been a steadfast supporter of Bowls England and his hard work, judgement and wise counsel has been hugely significant over many years. It was great to see John in Leamington during the Commonwealth Games, which provided another opportunity for us all to celebrate his significant efforts.”