"WE WANT a shade cloth, give us a shade cloth.”

The chant rang out at the Prosperine Bowls Club on Saturday at the Val Deboni Memorial Day as bowlers from Proserpine and Airlie Beach pointed sky high.

The Proserpine Bowls Club is petitioning for a shade cloth to be installed across their green for the upcoming summer season.

Leader of the petition Bob Spees said the community's elderly had been neglected in election promises.

"Once you reach a certain age, there are two things you can do in life and that is swim and bowl,” he said. "This club has been around for 77 years and it has never once had a shade cloth.

"In the summer it gets too hot for the older ones to come out; it's not fair the playgrounds, skate parks and courts in the region get a cloth and we miss out.

"Some of our members are in their 80s and if it gets too hot for them to come out it cuts them off from social interaction.”

Mr Spees said the lack of current shade wasn't for lack of trying as he had been pushing the issue for three months now.

"We have applied for grants and been rejected like a lot of other bowls clubs I know,” he said.

"I think some of it is that we aren't computer savvy and all the applications are online now.”

So the next step, Mr Spees said was to make it an election issue.

"I have given a petition to Bronwyn Taha to see if she can help us and I'll be asking other candidates as well.

"I have a message, look at the number of people here, we are all voters - show you care about the elderly community and help us get a grant.

"This could really change some people's lives.”