Tennis Christmas Club Newsletter

Hello everyone,

As we bid farewell to another incredible year at our beloved tennis club, I want to express my gratitude for the countless memories we’ve created together. From the Watford and District Tennis League, the Aylesbury District Tennis League, The Dot Burgin Cup, American Tournaments, to the Club Championships, each event added a unique chapter to our tennis journey.

We are fortunate to have a beautiful, well-maintained setting with 5 floodlit courts, a new Pickleball Court, and an upgraded practice wall. I hope you found joy in playing and cherished the camaraderie of our friendly club.

It was lovely to see many of you at the recent AGM. My thanks once again to the Football Club for hosting us and opening the bar.

We are keen to continue to improve the offerings for both Junior and Adult members. David Gray is looking to increase the number of Junior and Adult sessions midweek. Please speak to David or me if you have any suggestions or interest in other sessions we don’t currently provide.

Let’s gear up for another year of tennis excellence and unforgettable moments.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with love and joy, and a successful, healthy, and memorable year ahead.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see you on the courts!

Jill Cohen, B&FTC Chair

Vacancy on Committee

As you may know, Jill will be leaving us in mid-2025 to move back to South Africa, and we are looking for a member to take over the reins as Club Chair. If you are interested in this important role, please contact chair@bftc.club for further information.

We look forward to hearing from you!

.

In loving memory of Viv Smith

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Viv Smith, of Green View Close, after a long illness, on October 2nd. Viv was a valued member of the tennis club for many years and a formidable opponent in ladies' doubles, often partnering with Wendy West. In later years, Viv and her husband Ron became regulars in the Sunday morning foursomes with their sons, Graham and Andrew.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Ron and the family during this difficult time. Many of us from BFTC, myself included, attended Viv’s ceremony at Hemel Hempstead Crematorium to celebrate her life and honour the wonderful memories she created with us all.

Viv will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Court bookings

If, for any reason, you cannot play and no longer need a court that you’ve booked, kindly ensure you cancel the booking promptly. This helps in maximising court availability for other members.

Clubhouse door

It has come to our attention that the pavilion door has been left open overnight and during the day on multiple occasions. To ensure the safety and security of our facilities, please close the clubhouse door when leaving, even if there are still players on the court.

Club security

When you leave the club premises, please make it a habit to lock the door behind you.

Membership

As we head towards the new membership year starting on the 1st of April 2025 as proposed at the October 2024 AGM we are looking to take membership fees by direct debit. To do this please go to the BFTC website and press the button for your chosen membership and follow the direct debit details to payment. Once setup this will then be easier for you to pay in the future

Direct Debit Guarantee

Every organisation using Direct Debit is inspected and vetted by the banks before they’re allowed to collect your money. The banks are responsible for money being refunded if things were to go wrong, so you can bet they’re very thorough.

 That said, we know you want to be completely confident that you and your hard-earned money are in safe hands (after all, the cash is being collected from your bank account) and that’s why we have the Direct Debit Guarantee. The Guarantee applies to every single Direct Debit, protecting you just in case someone makes a mistake, like collecting your money on the wrong day or taking the wrong amount. 

Any queries please let us know at committee@bftc.club or membership@bftc.club

AGM
This took place on Monday October 14th. The minutes have been uploaded onto the website. If you have time, please take a few minutes to have a read to see what was discussed on the night.
 

We were pleased to present our awards at the recent AGM.

Roy Smith Cup

Every year this Cup is awarded to the most improved Adult Player at the Club. This year it was awarded to Laura Campbell. Congratulations Laura – well deserved and thank you too for all your help this past year in assisting with our junior coaching and arranging and sorting the Junior Matches.

Most Improved Juniors

These awards introduced last year for our Juniors who are recognised for their improvement as Junior players during the year. I am proud to congratulate Julia Golan and Alex Rolfe for their achievements this year. Well done!

Contribution to the Club Award

This is a new award which we introduced at last year’s AGM, whereby the committee wanted to acknowledge members who regularly assist the club. This year the Committee chose Team Hacro . Thank you Anton, Tommy and all of Hacro for making the base for our New Shed larger and  most recently erecting our new shed ready to store our Tennis equipment. 

Festive Tennis: American Tournament Monday 30th Dec 11-1pm

We are holding our traditional American Tournament this year on Monday 30th December. This is a fun social tournament and is played as mixed doubles with partners changing every mini match. The winner is the person who wins the most individual games.

Come and join us for 2 hours of fun tennis, feel free to bring some left-over mince pies. Mulled wine is provided for those who would like it. Cost of the tournament is £3 per player (to cover the cost of new balls). Please let Karen Ferguson know if you plan to come along (07507 670455) so we can manage numbers!

Many thanks to Karen & John Wareham for offering to organise this – in the middle of the run up to Christmas!