Bath Boules 2024 Programme by MediaClash

Un Grand Merci to our Daily Headline Sponsors

Welcome to the Bath Boules

Bonjour, mes amis!

Yes, a grand bienvenue to the fantastic Bath Boules!

A massif merci beaucoup to each and every one of you for making this much-loved event possible.

The Bath Boules brings our community closer together for a fun-filled boules festival which raises great sums for local charities, over £750,000 to date. Such is the demand for Boules, we now have four fantastique days of playing, laughing, eating, drinking and fundraising.

This weekend is all about enjoying time with friends, family and colleagues. Reuniting with old faces and meeting new ones. It’s Bath’s summer party. As always, all proceeds from this event go straight back into the community via the Bath Boules Trust (see more about how it’s helped local causes on P5-6). That’s everything from your team place, to raffle tickets, drinks from the bar and food from the street market – so don’t hold back!

We have once again received an overwhelming amount of support from our Sponsors. It’s magnifique to see the local Bath business community come together for this very special event to support local charities. This year’s Headline Sponsors are: Bath Spa University, RWK Goodman, Sub 13 and Watches of Bath. Our Big Boules Sponsors are: Digital Wonderlab, Francis Hotel, Great Wine Co., Hamptons, University of Bath, and Vio Offices. And we have une douzaine Little Boules Sponsors too. Merci buckets to all.

This is such a great and vital institution of our city. It’s truly an event that encapsulates the spirit of Bath. This most French of sports played out in the most English of settings: it’s the perfect way to celebrate summer… and don’t forget, the money raised over this weekend goes to local charities. So, please enjoy having fun while doing good.

À votre santé!

From The Bath Boules Team and Trustee

Bath Boules App

This has been developed by notre besties at Digital

The app is essential to use this weekend, keep track of who you’re playing and how you’re scoring as well as find out key updates throughout the day. There’s even a Franglais translator feature so you can parlez the proper Boules way, bon! Search Bath Boules on your app platform to download.

The Bath Boules app is back!

Wonderlab and Rocketmakers!

Bath Boules history

The first boules tournament in Queen Square, Bath took place in the late 1980s as a one-day affair involving independent restaurant staff from across the city.

The brainchild of Jean Pierre Auge of Le Beaujolais Restaurant in Chapel Row and Philip Addis of Great Western Wine Company it was immediately popular, and in just a few years the event had more than doubled in size.

By 1989 the tournament had expanded over two days to include local individuals and businesses with 128 teams competing for the now famous Boules Trophies and the weekend was launched with the infamous party in the square on the Friday evening.

Support came from far and wide and local celebrity Miles Kington of Franglais fame led a team which at various times included Terry Jones, Joanna Lumley and Michael Palin ensuring the annual tournament became a must on Bath’s busy events map.

As it continued to go from strength-to-strength Philip and Jean Pierre established a charitable trust to distribute money raised amongst local charities ensuring that much of the money raised through participation and sponsorship was benefitting those most in need in the Bath area.

When the Beaujolais closed after many years and Philip sold Great Western Wine Company, a new era began and the event was licensed by the charity to others to run with profits continuing to be distributed to local causes via the charity.

First up was Portico Designs Bath in 2006 with MediaClash taking over in 2014.

Over the past 30 or so years, not only has money been raised for some terrific causes, a great deal of fun has been had by all. It’s the trustees’ aim that this will continue for many years to come.

Bath Boules & Charity

The Bath Boules is a much-loved local institution, a French game that brings together the people of Bath, the businesses – and of course our charities.

Every year the Bath Boules raises thousands of pounds for local charities which are then distributed to a wide range of local causes.

The charitable objectives of the Bath Boules Trust are to spend locally, selecting Bath-based charities for grants from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand. The final amount raised depends on the generosity of our sponsors, partners and attendees, and how much we are all able to raise through event tickets, raffles, food and drink.

If you work for a charity that would benefit from funds from this year’s event, visit bathboules.com/charity to apply.

The charity is administered by its Trustees: Celia Mead, David Gledhill, Lizzie Heffer, Nicole Howse, Philip Addis and Thomas Sheppard. Dig deep people!

bathrugby.com

Supporting local charities

Over the years, the Bath Boules Charitable Trust has supported over 125 causes across many areas – some on multiple occasions – giving over £750,000 including:

1st Impressions (Bath)

5x5x5=creativity

Action For Children

Action on Hearing

Loss South West

Age UK

B&NES Age Concern

Bath & District Tapes for the Handicapped and Blind

Bath 18+ Gateway Club

Bath Abbey Footprint

Bath and North East

Somerset Carers Centre

Bath and North East

Somerset Dementia

Action Alliance

Bath and North East

Somerset Fund

Bath and West Society for the Blind

Bath Area Play Project

Bath Cats & Dogs Home

Bath Child Contact Centre

Bath City Farm

Bath Ethnic Minority

Senior Citizen’s Association

Bath Festival

Bath Gateway

Out & About

Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases

Bath Institute of Medical Engineering

Bath Mencap and Gateway Sports Club

Bath Mind

Bath Myeloma Group

Bath PR School

Bath Preservation Trust

Bath Repair Café

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution

Bath Rugby Foundation

Bath Sports Centre

Bath Stroke

Support Group

Bath Transport

Bluebell Care Trust

Children’s Hospice

South West

Chiltern Music Therapy

Citizens Advice Bureau

CLIC

Corsham Physically Handicapped

Cruse Bereavement Care

CTO Christmas

Designability for Bath

Developing Health & Independence

Diabetes UK

Dorothy House

FareShare

First Response

National HCE

First Steps Bath

Focus Counselling

Forever Friends

Fosseway Breakfast Club

Freewheelers EUS

Friends of Hillview

Friends of Margaret

Coates Unit

Friends of Samaritans

Gateway Sports Club & Bath Mencap

Genesis Trust

GIST Cancer UK

Golden Oldies

Great Western Air

Ambulance

Gympanzees

Headway (Bath)

Home Farm Trust

Hope House Centre

Jamie’s Farm

Jessie Mays Children’s

Hospice at Home

John Paul 11 School

Julian House

Lifetime Cancer Trust

McMillan Cancer Relief

Mentoring Plus

National Osteoporosis Society

Nova Sports and Coaching

NSPCC

Off The Record

Off the Road

Open Christmas

Parkinson’s Disease

Society

Peggy Dodd Centre

Radio Bath

Research Unit for the Care of Older People

RICE

RNID Poolemead

RUH Charitable Trust

RUH Neo Natal Clinic

S Budd

Salvation Army

Samaritans of Bath and District

SARAS

School Kit Project

Southside Family

Project Bath

SPA

Sporting Family Change

St John’s Ambulance

St Martins Garden School

St Nicholas School

Stepping Stones

Stratton House MHA

Supporting Family Change

SWALLOW

Teenage Cancer

TFC

The Big Issue Foundation

The Community Bus

The Egg Appeal

The Grant Appeal

The Hive Peasedown

St John

The Holburne Museum

Theatre Royal Bath Three Way School

Time2Share

Trauma Breakthrough Trauma Recovery Centre Tree of Hope

Voices For Life We Get It Together We Hear You

Wellow Riding for The Disabled Weston Day Club for the Elderly Woodworks Project

Working in the Support of the Handicapped WRVS

YMCA

Young Carers

Development Trust

Youth Connect

South West

Represent a charity that could benefit from a grant from the Bath Boules?

Apply direct at www. bathboules.co.uk/ charities

Un trés grand merci

Without our event sponsors the Bath Boules would not be able to make such a great contribution to Bath’s charities. To these companies with a conscious and flair for French fun, we salute you

Daily Headliners

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY is where creative minds meet with education and research across arts, science and business, and aims to be a leading educational institution in creativity, culture and enterprise. bathspa.ac.uk | @bathspauni

Big Boules

RWK GOODMAN creates and builds relationships with clients to provide legal expertise and advice to a range of sectors, including health and social care, retail, finance and technology. rwkgoodman.com | @rwkgoodman

BATH LIFE is the leading media brand in the city with many events as well as the magazine. It has been a supporter of the Bath Boules for many years and as the Official Media Partner, Bath Life will be covering the event extensively. mediaclash.co.uk | @bathlifemag

DIGITAL WONDERLAB

helps organisations see new digital possibilities, crafts experiences that exceed expectations, and delivers results using the best technologies. digitalwonderlab.com | @digiwonderlab

SUB 13 is an award-winning cocktail bar. Big city style in an intimate venue. Sweeping leather booths and subtle lighting attract a sophisticated, vibrant crowd. Head there after a long day of play at the Boules! sub13.net | @sub13bar

THE FRANCIS HOTEL

Is located right on Queen Square. For stays, super dining experiences or just popping in, our doors are always open. francishotel.com | @francishotelbath

THE GREAT WINE

CO has for over 35 years sought out hand-crafted wines direct from the finest estates right across the world, to provide a unique wine drinking experience. greatwesternwine.co.uk | @greatwestnwine

HAMPTONS matches people with property that’s right for them, locally, nationally and internationally. hamptons.co.uk | @hamptons1869

Little Boules Sponsors

WATCHES OF BATH specialises in pre-owned luxury timepieces, specialising in Rolex but also able to offer other luxury brands such as Tudor, Omega, Patek Philippe, Panerai and many more. watchesofbath.com | @watchesofbath

UNIVERSITY OF BATH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT is a top UK business school, renowned for its global research, teaching, and comprehensive range of business and executive education programmes. bath.ac.uk/schools/schoolofmanagement/ | @uniofbath

VIO OFFICES

provides gorgeous selfcontained serviced office suites overlooking the beautiful Queen Square. viooffices.com

We would like to thank everyone for making this event possible. It’s superb how so many Bath businesses have got involved this year.

Thank you to the Boules founders and trustees for starting this great event. Thank you to all our raffle prize donors for generously supplying the prizes and to all those who have helped with the organising. Thank you to all our sponsors for helping to elevate this great event to even greater heights.

And of course, thank you to you for coming!

Raffle! Step right up

There is a grand raffle draw each day of the Bath Boules tournament at 4pm. We’ve got some incredible prizes for you. And the best bit? It’s all for charity!

How can you get your hands on these lovely prizes? Easy. It’s £3 per ticket or £10 per strip from the information tent or Le Staff wandering around, pay via contactless and listen out at Le Stage at 4pm to see if you’ve won!

PRIZES:

Festival passes for Edinburgh Preview Festival from Bath Comedy Festival

Photography session with Beata Cosgrove

Photography

Tea blending workshop voucher for two from Bird & Blend

Four ball golf voucher from Cumberwell Park

Lunch for four at Flute

Meal for 2 at Brasserie Beau at Hotel Indigo

Four pairs of tickets from Komedia

Voucher for a Season Change Makeup Workshop from LittleLAB

Book voucher from Mr B’s Emporium Bookshop

Four family tickets from No.1 Royal Crescent

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF BATH – BUSINESS @ BREAKFAST

Once a month during the academic year, we welcome local professionals to our building for a morning of informal yet informative talks, networking and discussion around best practices.

Cook Your Creations experience voucher from Pasta Laboratory

Gift donation from Portman Bath

Hamper from Taste of Bath

Tickets to an event at Bath Forum

Wine and cheese board voucher from The Yard in Bath

Tickets for theatre shows from Theatre Royal Bath

Spa vouchers from Thermae Bath Spa

Tickets to an event at Topping and Company

Game of golf for four people at Tracy Park

A pair of tickets to Wake the Tiger

Twin box of sparkling wine from Wraxall Builders

• Learn from business experts in the local region

• Expand your network

• Explore how the University of Bath, School of Management can support your business

Business @ Breakfast resumes in September to discuss employee engagement. Please scan the QR code to find out more. To get invites to Business @ Breakfast, email SoMPartnerships@bath.ac.uk

The Rules of Boules

TEAMS: To play, a team will require three players, six boules and one jack. The same three players must play throughout one game. Different players may be used for different games but those players may only represent one team.

THE BASICS: Teams take it in turns to throw their boules toward the jack. The aim is to place your boules nearer the jack than your opponents, which may be achieved by either knocking your opponent’s boules away or by ‘nudging the jack’.

ORDER OF PLAY: During a game, players from opposing teams do not play alternately as is sometimes assumed. A player or team continues to throw until they gain the advantage. It is up to the ‘throwing’ team whether a team member throws all their boules consecutively or they alternate shots within the team.

HOW TO WIN: The winning team scores as many points as it has boules better places than the best boule of the losing team. A new ‘end’ is then started with the jack being thrown by the winners of the previous end. The winners of the previous end must go first. The game is repeated until a team scores nine points. The finals are played to 11. The winner of each game must give the final score to the leaderboard tent.

TOURNAMENT PROGRESSION: The tournament begins with all teams split into eight groups. The teams within each group play each other. The two teams in each group that record the greatest number of wins will quality for the Round of 16. The winners in each of these games will then go on to the quarter finals. If there is a tie, the team with the lowest points scored against will qualify.

‘IN PLAY’ AND ‘OUT OF PLAY’: Boules that hit or bounce against the side of the pistes are still in play. If the boules rest on the side of the pistes, they are taken out. If a boule hits or rests against the back sleeper, the boule is out. If the jack ball is knocked out of play, the end must be played again.

TIMING: Please keep to schedule as far as possible. Games should typically last 25 minutes and the organisers may sometimes have to truncate some very slow-running games.

The Bath Grand Cru Pétanque Club is pleased to support the grand Bath Boules weekend. We provide the referees for the tournament, advising on the rules, tactics and etiquette for participants, in a relaxed way. Good luck to all and may your boules run smooth and true.

Mouth-watering dishes, traditional afternoon tea and expertly crafted cocktails are waiting for you.

Street Food at the Boules

Check out the Boules Street Food stands for a great selection of food and drink. Please make sure that you support them, prodigiously. All present will be donating a proportion of their sales to local charities via the Bath Boules Trust – meaning that every bite, glass or pint will contribute to local Bath charities.

All teams will receive vouchers to exchange at any of these stalls in return for a meal.

Please note: we request that you do not bring your own food and drink, since this deprives the traders of revenue and therefore the Boules and its charities of funding.

CHOCK SHOP creates hand-crafted artisan brownies and uses a circular cutter to guarantee the heart of the brownie.

@chock_shop

DOS DEDOS is an authentic Mexican cantina, specialising in over 100 mezcals and tequilas, authentic tacos and Mexican street eats.

@dos_dedos_bath

GURU CHEF specialises in vegan and vegetarian food as well as chicken dishes, offering a variety of international selections including wraps, quesadillas and as dessert French crepes.

@guruchefuk

MERAKI has a passion for Greek cuisine, using traditional family recipes to share the rich aromas of the mediterranean.

@the_meraki_van

SALCOMBE DAIRY makes utterly scrumptious non-dairy ice creams and sorbets, ensuring everyone can enjoy indulgent ices.

@salcombedairy

St John’s is the premier barristers’ chambers in the South West helping businesses and individuals find the best solutions to their legal problems