The Association has set out broad principles for achieving equality of treatment and opportunity in its Management Committee’s practices.

These principles relate to ensuring fairness throughout the Association in crown green bowls, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them.

The policy will be supplemented by specific action plans as priorities are either determined or deemed necessary.

It is the Management Committee’s intention:-

• To recruit crown green bowling members from all sectors of the community, and not to discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, colour, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status or ability.

• To recognise the importance of ensuring that membership reflects the makeup of society in general in order to ensure that the special needs and individual differences across the whole of the community at large can be adequately catered for.

• To actively seek to promote social inclusion by encouraging and engaging bowlers from all walks of life to participate in crown green bowls.

• To take seriously and deal expeditiously with all complaints of discrimination.

The Management Committee is collectively responsible for overseeing the effective implementation and adherence to this Equality Policy.

The Association believes that discrimination of any form is unacceptable, and can be unlawful. In addition to its legal responsibilities, the Association further acknowledges the need for Equal Opportunity Programmes to enable the effective development and maximum utilisation of its potential as a sports and social organisation. In doing so a parallel objective is to provide the means whereby all members can individually realise their talents and fulfil their potential.

This Equality Policy documents current practice and outlines the broad principles under which the Association operates. The Equality Policy is subject to ongoing review, annual re-evaluation and review and development.