The club will open its gates at 11am on Saturday, June 20, for the day.

Veterans, serving personnel, military families, and the public are being invited to attend the event, which aims to both celebrate and unite the armed forces community.

A range of activities, food, and refreshments will be available at the club on the day.

These will include bacon rolls and bowls sessions from 11am, lunch at 12.30pm, and a community bowls match at 2pm.

The Little Troopers charity, which provides support to military children separated from their families due to service life and deployment, has been selected as the beneficiary of the event.

Raffle prizes and donations are being requested to help contribute towards raising funds for the charity.

The event is being organised by Charlbury Bowls Club and military TBI campaigner, Kate England.

Donnington Grove Hotel and Country Club, in the village of Donnington north of Newbury, is being sold after being operated by the current owners since 2005.

The estate, which spans about 283 acres, includes a recently refurbished restaurant and bar, multiple meeting and event spaces, and an acclaimed 18-hole championship golf course.

The hotel and golf course are set within private grounds overlooking the River Lambourn, and the 18th-century Grade II-listed manor house is arranged across three floors.

The hotel has 40 en-suite bedrooms, including rooms within the main house and a selection of outbuildings.

The estate was previously up for sale in 2022 for offers in excess of £10 million but did not sell.

The current owners, who have run the hotel since 2005, said: “After a long period of ownership, and in light of the passing of two of the original company directors, we have decided the time is right to hand Donnington Grove to new owners.

“This marks an important transition, allowing the estate to enter its next chapter and realise its full potential.

“Most importantly, we would like to thank the staff, with whom we have shared this memorable journey, for their hard work and dedication over the years.”

The sale is being managed by Ed Bellfield, regional director of hotels at Christie & Co.

He said: “Donnington Grove is an exceptional property offering scale, heritage and operational depth rarely found in the market.

“The asset is expected to attract strong interest from a broad range of buyers seeking high quality hotel and golf related leisure opportunities in a highly accessible location close to the M4 corridor and within 90 minutes of London’s West End.”

The hotel, dating back to 1763, has links to historical figures like Winston Churchill.

The mansion, built in the ‘Strawberry Hill Gothic’ style by amateur architect John Chute for wealthy historian James Pettit Andrews, has a rich history.

The next owner in 1783 was William Brummell, former private secretary to Prime Minister Lord North, who expanded and landscaped the estate.

However, it was his son, George, known as ‘Beau’ Brummell, who became a Regency-style icon, having a revolutionary impact on men’s fashion—even introducing the suit and necktie to menswear.

In 1795, Donnington Grove was transferred to John Bebb, an East India Company official.

After the death of his widow in 1850, the estate changed hands to Head Pottinger Best.

READ MORE: Search for missing boy, 16, last at Didcot railway station

The house remained in the family until 1936 when it was sold to Mrs Amy Swithinbank.

Like many other country estates, the house was requisitioned in 1940 for Allied Supplies Ltd.

After the war, the estate was sold to the Hon Reginald Fellows and remained in the family until its purchase by Shi-tennoji International in December 1991.

Dave Thomas, one of Britain’s foremost golf architects, was tasked with creating a golf course that was in keeping with the listed landscape gardens and lake to the south of the house.

The construction of the course started in November 1991, and on June 12, 1993, the Donnington Grove Country Club opened.

In April 2000, Donnington Grove changed names to Parasampia Golf & Country Club, a name already used by the company in Japan, but it has since reverted to the Donnington Grove name.

Benson, near Wallingford, was one of the hottest places in the country during the scorching bank holiday weekend.

The UK was as hot as the Mediterranean on Sunday.

Britons saw the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday when temperatures of 30.5C were recorded in Kent, however Monday’s temperatures are expected to soar even higher to 34C in Greater London and across South East England.

READ MORE: Historic bridge under threat and faces further damage

As well as Benson, heatwave conditions were met at Heathrow, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens in London, Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.

The Met Office also said that Santon Downham was the first location to meet the criteria at around 11:30 and its heatwave threshold is 27C for three consecutive days.

It was closely followed by Heathrow at around 11:50, whose criteria is three consecutive days at 28C. Temperatures in that area have since climbed further to 30C.

Speaking to the Press Association, a Met Office spokesperson said: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is, as I say, pretty historic.”

They added that overnight temperatures could also lead to records being broken, staying above 20C and being “uncomfortable for sleeping”.

Saturday was the first time this year that the UK had passed 30C.

The last time that happened in May was in 2012.

The exception is in the North West of Scotland where bank holiday Monday will be breezier and damper with thicker clouds.

Animals at London Zoo who are used to milder temperatures have been given ice lollies to keep cool in the boiling hot temperatures, a spokesperson said.

Predators are being fed blood-based ice lollies, otters are snacking on ice lollies made of frozen shrimp and crayfish and gorillas are hydrating on lollies made from fruit teas.

At Chester Zoo, Andean bears have been fed ice blocks to ensure they stay hydrated and keep cool.

Heat is considered to be more dangerous for older adults as their bodies struggle to regulate temperature and Age UK is recommending they stay inside during the hottest hours of the day, which are between 11am and 3pm, and have regular cold baths or showers.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK Charity Director, said: “We can all help older people stay safe during periods of hot weather by checking in on older relatives, friends and neighbours to see if they need anything or are struggling with the heat.

“Offering to pick up shopping or medication, or even lending a fan, can make a real difference.”