A new pétanque pitch has opened after many months of community fundraising to help build it.
Lewes Pétanque Club was born in 2022 after Tom Davies and a friend were discussing whether the game they both loved was called boule or pétanque.
They realised there wasn’t anywhere in Lewes to play the game, and an idea was formed to set up a club to raise the funds to build one.
Finally, on Saturday, the outcome of their friendly argument was realised with the opening of the pitch.
Situated near Lewes FC’s dripping pan, at the foot of the Mount, the new pitch is open for anyone to use, with no need to book.
Tom Davies, Chair of Lewes Pétanque Club, said: “It’s incredible to see this pipedream turn into reality.
“We were inspired by family holidays in France and wanted to bring the enjoyment of this simple, healthy and accessible pleasure back to Lewes.
“We’re delighted the people of Lewes can now enjoy a game whenever they want.”
The location was found with the help of Lewes District Council. The money for construction was secured through crowdfunding from local residents, East Sussex County Council’s Building Stronger Communities fund, Lewes District Council and Lewes Town Council Community Infrastructure Levy funding, and match funding and support in kind from Lewes District Council.
Councillor Johnny Denis, the district council’s cabinet member for leisure, said: “We are committed to supporting diverse recreational opportunities for our residents and are delighted to have played a part in making the idea of Lewes’s first ever pétanque piste become a reality.
“This fantastic new facility is free-to-use and I encourage people to come along and enjoy a game – it a great addition to our town.
“Thank you to Lewes Pétanque Club and all those who donated through the crowdfunder.”
Dr Julie Barnett and Dr Allen Foundry Social Prescribing Leads, added: “Pétanque is a great way to get more active, more social and get outside.”
To find out more about Lewes Pétanque Club, visit www.lewespetanqueclub.org
Interestingly this Lewes Petanque opening coincided with our slightly more modest Petanque development on our community field in Ripe village…..
Correct me if I’m wrong, but with Boules you can take a run before releasing the ball whereas in Petanque you throw from a stationary position inside a hoop.
I believe the word Petanque comes from the French, meaning your feet are firmly fixed in position.
One tale about the origin of Petanque suggests the star player in a Marseille boules team injured his leg and couldn’t run up to throw the ball, so opponents were asked to agree to throw from a fixed standing position ……and thus Petanque was born.