Members of Austwick Tennis Club turned out in force in July 2025 to welcome Great British Sewing Bee judge and founder of ethical British clothing brand Community Clothing, Patrick Grant, to the official opening of their recently resurfaced courts. Patrick, who lives locally and says he is ‘keen on a game of tennis’, stayed on to enjoy several sets of men’s and mixed doubles with some of the club’s top players. Before doing so he made a point about his principal interest saying that his tennis kit: sweater, shorts and socks were all made in Britain by companies committed to sustainable and ethical production.

Also present at the event were Fiona Ross of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (right) and Jenny Thistlethwaite of the Craven Trust (left), two of the charities that helped fund the £32,000 resurfacing project, along with the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund and club members.

Servings of strawberries and cream, together with Pimm’s, helped create a real summer tennis feeling. The presence of a cricket match and bowls being played elsewhere in the grounds that make up the Austwick Playing Fields completed a great evening.