Dear Members,

We hope you are all safe and well and enjoying your tennis.

Over the past few days, we have had a flurry of interest in joining the club which is great. So, I’m writing to you to give you a summary of the proposals that may affect you following the ARTC committee meeting on Wednesday 16 September.

We are proposing some new initiatives and would like to share them with you.

Membership

It was decided to continue the freeze on subscriptions for existing members until 31 March 2021 and to reduce the fees for new members. The rate for new members for the period 16th September 2020 to 31 March 2021 are as follows:

Adults: £10 | Juniors: £5 | Family: £25

We believe this reflects the reduced opportunities to play tennis in the winter months and is a good way to encourage new membership, as lockdown measures are likely to tighten. We are lucky to have a great sports facility that people can access easily and, as a committee, we realise how important it is to promote our club as an inclusive community asset.

Clubhouse

The clubhouse has been securely locked for the past few months. However, LTA advice is that clubs can use clubhouses provided members can do so respecting Covid 19 Secure Guidelines, which follows Government guidelines updated on 18 September. This asks all venues to consider:

• Using signs and posters to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency, avoid touching your face and to cough or sneeze into your arm. Consider how to ensure safety messages reach those with hearing or vision impairments

• Providing regular reminders and signage to maintain hygiene standard

• Providing hand sanitiser in multiple locations in addition to washrooms

• Setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets to ensure they are kept clean and social distancing is achieved

We agreed to open the clubhouse for the use of children attending Junior coaching on Monday nights from 4-5pm. We believe the use of the toilets to be an important facility for this age group. However, we are not proposing to open the toilets to the adult membership, unless absolutely necessary. Anyone using the toilets should be aware that they do so entirely at their own risk and should ensure that they follow Covid 19 Secure Guidelines, thereby respecting the safety of everyone in the club. If LTA guidance changes, we will ensure we follow recommendations.

Monthly Newsletter

Each month the committee is going to publish a newsletter, to ensure we are delivering you up to date news of what is happening in all aspects of your club. October’s edition will give further information about the arrangements for this year’s AGM, which will be held on Wednesday 18 November. It will be a Zoom meeting and everyone is invited. Our next committee meeting will be held on Wednesday 14 October at which we will discuss the agenda for the AGM.

More details will follow in October’s newsletter, so watch this space.