Members of a bowls club can now sit down in comfort in their clubhouse – thanks to a grant from the Victory Housing Community Fund.

North Walsham New Road Bowls and Snooker Club in the town centre, which was founded in 1912, needed new chairs after the old ones started to fall apart.

The club applied to the fund, which supports grassroots community organisations throughout north Norfolk, and received £800.

Club membership has grown by around 50pc in three years and treasurer Hazel Sadler said: 'We rely completely on volunteers to keep going. The clubhouse is the centre of that activity, and this grant will enable us to continue our programme of events.'

Victory's housing director Christine Candlish said: 'It is clubs like this, run entirely by volunteers, that are the lifeblood of any community. The social side is so important, bringing people together and providing a focus for community activities.'