A BOWLS club in Fichley is set to begin a new era when the keys are finally handed over for their new facilities, three years after their pavilion was destroyed by arsonists.

Members of Finchley Victoria Bowls Club, in Victoria Park, Ballards Lane, had to endure the heartache of seeing their clubhouse set alight during two separate attacks in July 2006.

Since then the club, which has been running since the 1920s, has been using a temporary cabin and relying on other clubs in the area to host fixtures.

Club president, Ted Bagley, said it has been a difficult time for the members, but hopes the new pavilion can bring new enthusiasm for the game.

He said: “Everything is signed sealed and delivered, but we still need to move various things into the building to get it properly ready.

“It has taken the council, various bodies and people a lot of hard to get to the stage where we have a new pavilion, and three years is a long time to be engaged in countless phone calls about it.

“It is very exciting and it will make an enormous difference. We've only had an outdoor cabin to enable us to keep the club alive”

Mr Bagley was called out on the night of the second fire and he remembers what a terrible sight it was seeing the club house and all the memories be destroyed by the flames.

He said: “I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

“I just kept thinking 'what have we ever done to those people who started the fire'. It was quite a shock.

“We could have easily put two hands up in the air and said 'let it go', but then there wouldn't have been a club to come back to.”

The rebuild by Barnet Council has involved creating a building which provides a unisex bowls pavilion with a function room.

All drainage and irrigation facilities had to be reinstalled, with the total project costing more than £440,000, although most of that came from the insurance.

Councillor Andrew Harper, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "I am very pleased that we are able to give back a new and improved bowling club to the residents of Finchley.

“As well as improving sporting facilities in our borough, the club will also provide a social hub for residents, which I know they are keen to have."

The club has been forced to amalgamate the men's and women's teams due to dwindling member numbers since the fire, but Mr Bagley now hopes to encourage more people to come along and enjoy the game.

“It has to be the start of a new era, because we are a new uni-sex club for the first time,” said Mr Bagley, who will pick up the keys on Thursday.

“We would like to get new members whether they have experience of bowls or not. It is very important for the future of the club and we can provide training and equipment for them.

“Hopefully this will mean it will be a bigger and better club than before.”

For more informaiton about joining, contact Ted Bagley on 020 8883 7148.