Hollywood Bowl will reopen its Basingstoke centre from August 1.

Following the TBPA and Hollywood Bowl #BringBackBowling campaign - designed to protect the 8,000 ten pin bowling industry-wide jobs by calling on the Government to allow bowling alleys to reopen, the sector has now been given the approval to reopen.

Another 53 Hollywood Bowl centres will reopen across the country since closing in March due to the Covid pandemic.

Stephen Burns, chief executive at Hollywood Bowl Group said: “The health and safety of our customers and team remains our priority.

"Whether it’s to bowl, enjoy the amusement areas, have a bite to eat or something to drink, we want to assure our customers that we are doing everything we can to create a safe and fun experience for families to return to.”

The reopening of centres in England will see the introduction of enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures, with customer guidance throughout the centres also in place.

Each centre will reduce the number of lanes in use, by only using alternate lanes, to provide extra space between each game taking place.

Amusement machines, as well as bar and diner seating, will be appropriately spaced out and signage will be visible throughout the venue to remind customers to maintain a safe distance from others.

There will be reduced customer capacity at centres to ensure that social distancing measures can be adhered to, and groups will be restricted to a maximum of six people with bowlers asked to arrive slightly ahead of their booking time.

Customers may also be required to queue when entering the centre and checking in for their games.   

Customers will be given the option of wearing disposable gloves whilst aiming for a strike and playing on the amusement areas and should wear their own shoes whilst bowling.

Upon entering the centre, visitors will be expected to use hand sanitiser, which will be readily available at cleaning stations.

Enhanced cleaning will take place throughout the day, including the cleaning of bowling balls, lane seating and touch screens after every game.

Hollywood Bowl is encouraging customers to use contactless payment where possible and will continue to accept cash.

There will be safety shields at all tills to protect both team members and customers.

Food and drink can be pre-ordered from the in-centre diners and bars, with cutlery and sauces provided to guests with their meal and an order & pay app available at 22 of it centres.

In addition, all team members will undergo daily temperature checks and will be wearing PPE to ensure their own safety and that of customers.

Customers are now able to make bookings for centres in England via the Hollywood Bowl website, with bowling slots being available from August 1.

Find out more about the measures and guidance to ensure customers can “Have Fun and Play Safe” at www.hollywoodbowl.co.uk/have-fun-play-safe.