PATRICIA Stokes, who played a pivotal role in saving the bowling greens in Worcester’s Cripplegate Park, has died after a six-month fight against cancer.

Her husband Peter said: “In 2003 Worcester City Council called all six clubs that used the greens to a meeting to announce it was closing them because of the cost. Pat then stood up and announced: ‘Oh no, you’re not. I will take them over’. And she did, with the help of four other trustees.

“At the time I don’t think she had any real idea of what it involved, but it meant her raising £20,000 a year to keep them going.”

Mrs Stokes’ determination led to the foundation of the Consortium of Cripplegate Bowlers and one of the city’s important leisure facilities was rescued for future generations. She was also vice secretary of Worcester Ladies Skittles League for 15 years.

Born Patricia Dovey and a former pupil of Christopher Whitehead Girls Secondary School in St John’s, she began her bowling career by playing skittles with her mother Betty for the Meco works team in Worcester and also played table tennis for Worcester Youth. In 1978, Mrs Stokes turned to flat green bowls for Meco and when the company team closed down, switched to Powick Bowling Club based at the well known mental hospital.

She soon became captain of Powick, which began using the greens at Cripplegate when the hospital shut in the late 1980s, and remained in the post for 38 years with husband Peter vice captain for 39 years.

Peter Stokes added: “Pat was a leading advocate of mixed men and women bowling teams.

“In the beginning men and women did not play together, but Pat refused to play any club that did not have men and women in the same team. Now there are very few clubs that don’t play mixed.

“She was a born organiser and when the city council announced it was closing the Cripplegate greens in 2003, she immediately took the job on. There was a small grant to start with, but that eventually stopped and Pat managed to keep going with membership fees, public donations and organising all sorts of events.

“In 2004 when the leisure centre at Perdiswell closed its indoor bowling facility, Pat managed to set up short mat greens in the clubhouse at Cripplegate so that bowlers could continue to play during the winter months.”

Mrs Stokes, who was 68, lived in Monarch Drive, Worcester. She leaves husband Peter and mother Betty. Her funeral service will be at 10.45am on Wednesday, August 29, at Worcester Crematorium.