THE owners of the Kursaal’s tenpin bowling alley say they hope to bring back good times for the business when it reopens next month.

The finishing touches are being done to the 30-lane alley in the iconic Southend seafront building, before it opens to the public on February 2.

The lanes closed suddenly on November 23, after previous owners Tenpin pulled out after selling it to new owners 1st Bowl.

Peter Loader, 1st Bowl’s regional manager, said the company is hoping to restore the alley to its former glory while providing great entertainment at the same time.

Mr Loader said: “There used to be six or seven leagues running in Southend, which is something we would love to restore here.

“There will be a great package on offer here, as well with the amusements, bar and pool tables alongside the tenpin bowling.”

“It should be a great place for parties, families and corporate groups.”

The future for the lanes looked bleak when Tenpin pulled out, but Kul Singh, who will be the general manager when the doors open again, believed bowling has a bright future in the town.

He said: “There is still a fair amount of work we need to do to make sure we can open on February 2.

“But we are very confident everything will be ready in time for us to open on time.

“We are all very excited to be bringing tenpin bowling back to the seafront.

“We have also been speaking to our neighbouring businesses, who all been supportive and just as excited about seeing bowling coming back.”

The Kursaal first opened in 1901, but tenpin bowling only arrived there in 1998.