Mel was born to loving parents Doreen and Les on 12th June 1952. In his youth, Mel was a passionate cricket player and was talented enough to be given the opportunity to sign for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Mel however took a different path, working as an Auditor for Finning (UK) for over 40 years. Alongside his career, Mel developed a passion for playing Crown Green Bowls.

Crown Green Bowls became an integral part of Mel’s life. He played at the highest level, earning over 100 caps for his county of Staffordshire and playing in over 120 tournaments. He also worked tirelessly to bring the sport back to the mainstream audiences via terrestrial television. In recognition of his service to the sport, Mel was awarded his MBE in the Queens New Year’s Honours in 2012. A humble, quiet and unassuming man, Mel maintained that his MBE was as much for his sport as it was for him.

Importantly, Crown Green Bowls is also where Mel met his lifelong partner, Lynn. Lynn herself was a former England Ladies Number One player in her own right. The two were inseparable both on and off the green and were quite a formidable pairing in the sport.

In 2016, quite suddenly, Mel was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). As Mel had only just become a grandfather to baby Isabelle in 2015, this news was a terrible shock to the family.

The Mel Evans MBE Foundation was founded by Lynn as a lasting legacy for her beloved Mel. The Foundation is honoured to have amongst its Honorary Patrons former World Snooker Champion John Parrott MBE and Professor Dame Pamela Shaw. The Foundation has three simple aims: to raise awareness of MND, to organise fundraising bowling events to support leading treatments, and to support and promote Crown Green Bowls at grassroots level.