AN HISTORIC bowling club whose clubhouse was gutted by fire more than 15 years ago is gearing up for its 175th anniversary.

Wellington Park Bowling Club, which was founded in 1853, the second oldest club in the district, has literally risen from the ashes.

Members triumphed against all odds and a year later won the Greenock and District Fours league, for the first time in 18 years - without any facilities.

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Stephen McLellan, past president, said the win was a great boost for the club, adding: "Considering we never had any facilities, it was a great achievement.

"We played out of Portacabins and two portable toilets, it took over a year to get the insurance settled.

"We also had success that year with Scottish and British titles."

Stephen said a lesser club could have walked away and given the club back to Inverclyde Council.

He added: "After the fire it would have been easy to walk away, it's been a lot of hard work but we've gone from strength to strength.

"It's unbelievable how far we've come."

Wellington Park got a new clubhouse and toilets and during lockdown added a fabulous conservatory which looks onto the green.

They salvaged glass for that project from a man in Gourock who wanted to dispose of his conservatory, and it was installed and with members' help and expertise from Williams Double Glazing Ltd.

The club also managed to save historic documents dating back to the first president back in 1853.

Stephen, 36, who has been with the club since he was six, says that Wellington Park has 60 members and that they are a 'special club'.

He added: "The difference between this place and other clubs is they have full-time bars, we do have a social side but 90 per cent of our members are here to bowl.

"It is a proper club, with a competitive edge, we're the second oldest in the district, we won the Greenock and District Fours League again last year, that's seven times in the last ten years."

Club secretary David Williams paid tribute to Stephen, saying: "It is due to all the hard work he has put in, he is 'the heartbeat of the club.'

Stephen modestly replied: "Everyone did their bit to build everything back up from scratch.

"I never thought we would be sitting here, it took a lot of hard work. We were working from a tin shed and a generator for 14 months."

The club's oldest member is honorary president John McGhee, 82, and the youngest is Brandon Miller, who at 16, has a promising bowling future ahead.

Secretary David said: "He is going to be a star of the future, he is bowling at under 25 levels and has been in a couple a semi-finals."

Martin Woodrow, who was president of the club last year, said: "It is a club people come to if they want to improve their game, we have older members, family members it's an eclectic mix, all from different walks of life.

"Stephen won the Scottish Pairs in 2011 and the British Pairs in 2012 and is the Greenock and District Bowling Association Secretary."

The club has also created a community garden to attract more people to the club.

David said: "There's nowhere else like Wellington Park, in the height of summer, blue skies, you would never think it was in the middle of the town."

Stephen said: "It's our 175th anniversary in four years, we will be looking to get something in place to celebrate that milestone."