A ROGERSTONE indoor bowls club which was vandalised by metal thieves has had its equipment and hall repaired by a generous benefactor.

The Alcan Indoor Bowls Club, in Drill Hall, Tregwilym Road, was broken into in September, when thieves stole copper pipes and caused extensive damage to the entrance hall.

The Walters Group, which is re-developing the former Alcan factory site, where the club is situated, has agreed to pay £4,500 towards costs to repair the damage to the electrical installations.

The club was originally set up by former Alcan workers and is still attended by around 40 per cent of them. In September the Argus reported on the theft of copper wires from the hall, and the cost of the damage was estimated to be £10,000.

Vahe Zarifian, director of Walters, said: “The club has been there for years. We didn’t want to upset them – Walters have a very good relationship with the local community, including the members of Alcan Indoor Bowls Club.”

Walters has already made the Drill Hall more secure by constructing a small section of new fence and by altering the entrance arrangement to the building. The hall will also be fitted with outside lights. Members have been helping with the repair work, Cyril Bainton, 77, who has been a member for the last 12 years, has been restoring the pipes. They are hoping to finish the work before Christmas.

The chairman said: “We are working together with Walters to reinforce the community hall. We’re trying to make the place more secure since the break-in – we are hoping to get cameras.

“We were lucky another club let us go to their hall on a Wednesday morning. About 16 of us went to Channel View in Risca."

He added: “Members have run it for the last 20/30-odd years. It is good to have help with the money.”

The hall has been open since 1939 and was originally used as a drill hall, but now it is used primarily for bowling. The club has 40 members and holds four sessions of indoor bowls a week.

Howard Deakin, 70, secretary of the club, said: “I think it is very generous of them to offer to pay to put the cub back to how it was. We have had no bowls since September.”

Chris Evans, Rogerstone councillor, said: “It’s great to see Walters coming to the rescue. Your readers will know, that we’ve worked closely with Walters on this major regeneration project, it’s because we’ve built that working relationship that we can ensure residents' voices are heard and work with them for the good of our community on projects like this.”