Welcome to ARTC’s November newsletter, keeping you up to date with what’s been going on in your local tennis club over the past month.

On 14 October the committee had a productive meeting via Zoom. It was an opportunity to assess where the club is now and discuss some possibilities for planning for the future. (Of course, any decisions will now come under the remit of the Officers and Committee elected at the upcoming AGM.) So, if you might be considering joining us in running the club, we would be delighted to welcome you  at the AGM. Now that our meetings are being held remotely, you can do it from the comfort of your warm house - no more huddling round the heater in the clubhouse for the foreseeable future!

Lockdown Update (1/11/20)

This newsletter was compiled before the lockdown was announced on Saturday 31.10.20 and as such there may be items that are no longer relevant or are unlikely to take place.

We won't know the final details of LTA guidance until Wednesday but at the moment it appears that doubles play is likely to be discontinued but the LTA are planning to recommend that singles play is allowed. The CEO of the LTA, Scott Lloyd, is encouraging members to email their MPs to show support for this action. This link is also a good resource for keeping up to date with an ever changing situation. In addition, you can sign an online petition at change.org.

In terms of what happens next, we will update you by email as soon as we know how tennis at ARTC will be impacted. In the meantime, we hope you manage to get some tennis in before further restrictions are put in place. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Tennis News

Ho!Ho!Ho! As some of you may be aware for several years we have run a Christmas Cracker Tennis Competition. This is designed as a fun, festive way to celebrate tennis in the winter season and has seen a selection of Christmas jumpers, baubles and tinsel decorating both players and racquets! Ironically, the 2019 competition was the last one to be played at ARTC before lockdown. Based on the success of the Ladies Social Tennis on Saturdays we are planning to resume the event this year, if there is enough interest. We will ensure that risk assessments are Covid secure and that social distancing is maintained throughout. We have chosen Sunday 6 December (reserve date 13 December) as the date, from 11.00-1.30pm. The main difference from previous years is that if you want mulled wine and mince pies you will need to bring your own! If you are interested in taking part in this event a Doodle (online sign-up link) will be sent out on Sunday 15 November at 6pm and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. If we can get between 12-18 players it should be an entertaining morning.

Adult Coaching

By Pauline Belt

 Monday 19 October marked the last day of the Development Group coaching and Monday 28 September was the last League Players coaching session, both ended due to the usual fading light. We wish to extend a huge thanks to Rob Jones for making the sessions both fun and informative and all the participants for their fantastic support. We will be looking to restart the sessions from the beginning of April next year, usually the first Monday after the clocks go forward. An email will go out in March to all members with the details. Until next year, keep practicing!

Junior Coaching

By Chris Howat

The group of 4-7 year olds have all enjoyed their first lot of Mini Red coaching sessions. One mum said,

        "Eddie has been fantastic with all the children. He has managed to engage them really well, considering their age, and kept the sessions really interesting and varied.”

and one child said,

        "I really enjoyed it! Everyone was very nice and we played lots of fun games."

    One little girl cried when she realised it was the last session for a while!

Everyone is really looking forward to more coaching sessions in the Spring. Their response to the coaching has been so enthusiastic that we are planning a club session at half term, weather permitting, for them all - Mums included!

Please remember to look out for information in the New Year on the Juniors’ Open Day and coaching sessions across all age groups. If anyone has any queries about junior tennis, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Ladies Saturday Social Tennis

By Julia Campbell

I am so pleased to report that the take up of the Ladies Social Tennis on a Saturday afternoon has been amazing.  Every session has been extremely well supported and I feel certain has been thoroughly enjoyed - if the sound of the laughter has been anything to go by!  Oh, and we have been playing tennis too!  The only thing that stops us is the weather and injury (come back soon Chris).

If you would like to join in the fun with us, just contact me, Julia. The sessions are run through a WhatsApp group and you would be most welcome to join us. Please note, that we will start playing at 1 p.m. from Saturday 31 October onwards.

Court Maintenance

By Richard Barwick

In order to maintain courts in tip top condition we have ordered another Aussie Cleansweep - the really useful green plastic drag-mat that collects the leaves and debris from the courts. It is currently on a boat from Australia so should be with us in a few weeks’ time! Not only will it make cleaning the courts easier and quicker but regular use throughout the year will improve the overall playing surface and prolong the life of the courts, ensuring we can extend times between rejuvenation. Autumn is a particularly problematic time with leaves being ground into the sand and affecting drainage throughout the winter months, so please use the mats regularly - it really does make a difference.

Health And Safety

By Gary Carpenter

Endorsing Kath’s comment in the last newsletter, ARTC’s policy is one of safety first to protect the well-being of its members and all who use the club’s facilities. During the last 7 months, and because in part of the restrictions imposed as a result of Covid-19, the club has implemented measures to ensure the safety & well-being of its members in line with Government, NHS & Public Health England guidelines and also LTA requirements . These include: -

        * Carrying out an annual risk assessment on an ongoing basis.

        * Undertaking a fire risk assessment.

        * Purchasing fire extinguishers and a fire blanket for the clubhouse (to be installed shortly).

        * Carrying out and updating Covid-19 risk assessments when guidelines change.

        * Carrying out a monthly H&S maintenance check of the courts, clubhouse and surrounding area.

        * Installing at least one hand sanitiser station and gel within the courts for members’ use (in the process of purchasing).

        * Developing a process document to enable the club to identify what to do in the event of reports of Covid-19 within the club.

        * Installing a QR venue code for member/player log-in on arrival at the courts, to assist with NHS ‘track and trace'.

        If anybody has any questions or comments regarding health and safety matters, please let me or any committee member know. You can contact me via info@artc.org

Membership

By Sara Heron

Although the recent months have been difficult for many, we are proud to have been able to keep the courts open, working within government guidelines, and especially delighted to have welcomed so many new members. As a committee, we are always looking for ways to improve and increase playing opportunities at all levels and with this in mind we are currently undertaking a complete review of  both current playing opportunities, working within restrictions, as well as those available going forward into 2021.

In addition, we are focusing on offering a more personal response to each member's requirements as well as exploring ways to increase the integration between new and existing members. Initially, the welcome email will receive a make-over and going forward we are hoping to introduce the option for all members to have access to an optional feedback form.

Inevitably, the winter season and Covid restrictions will prohibit some initiatives, however we are working together now to introduce immediate effective change where appropriate, as well as preparing for new initiatives in the Spring.

Finance

By Steve Temple

Financially, the Club is in a good place, but we always need to look to the future and build in the cost of court rejuvenation/replacement. To that end, the current committee have looked at a number of scenarios regarding future membership numbers and the court rejuvenation/replacement plans.

Overall, we recommended to maintain competitive rates to encourage new members to join. This will be proposed in greater detail at the AGM for members to ratify. The new committee should be well placed to make those plans come to fruition and ensure we have a thriving Club for years to come.

Thank You

By Kath Temple

At the AGM two of the existing committee will be standing down; Richard Barwick and Anna Dawkes. Anna has been a committee member for the last five years and been active in several initiatives in that time. Richard has played an important role in the Club being Chairman between 2011-2017 and in the past few years being part of the Club Maintenance team, particularly regular court rejuvenation.

We all have a great deal to thank them for. Fortunately, Richard is still willing to continue to help maintain the courts, for which we are all very grateful. We wish Anna and Richard all the very best for the future and thank them for the years they have given to the Club.