Club Committee and Captains 2024/25

Club President
Dr Richard Moore

Chair/Coaching/
Tournaments/Meeting Secretary
Shaun Pinchbeck

Vice Chair/Facilities Coordinator 
Andrew Corfield

Treasurer
Madeleine Tomlinson

Membership Secretary

Karen Ashton

Child Protection/Welfare/Safeguarding Officer

Anna Airaksinen

Social Events/Bubwith Leisure Centre Rep

Lizanne Southworth

Club Night (Social Tennis)Coordinator
Robert Chapman

General Committee Members
Graham Webber, Gareth Price

Junior Rep
Vacant

Men’s 1 captain – Rob Jackson

Men’s 2 captain – Dave Booth

Ladies 1 captain – Sarah Falkingham

Ladies 2 captain – Kim Strauss

Ladies 3 captain - Heather Headley

Mixed 1 captain – Anna Airaksinen

Mixed 2 captain – Andrew Corfield

Mixed 3 captain – Luke Edwards

Mixed 4 captain - Lizanne Southworth

What does the committee do?           

Whilst Bubwith Tennis Club may be on the grounds of Bubwith Leisure & Sports Centre (and indeed they own the land on which the club stands on), the club is an independent organisation with no direct connection with BLSC, apart from being their tenants.

The club is run by a committee of volunteers, made up of a variety of people who give their time and services for free. This group, voted in at the Annual Member’s Meeting (usually in February), keeps the club running on a day-to-day basis, whilst looking towards the future and how the club can develop.

Areas covered by the committee include (but are not limited to):

• Retaining membership of the LTA and ensuring relevant criteria are met.
• Maintaining the courts and the surrounding areas, including the club house – through maintenance carried out by an individual to managing a third-party contractors.
• Managing the club’s finances including any loans and bill repayments.
• Ensuring that the club is a welcoming and safe environment – including safeguarding.
• Promoting the club and sport in general to the local community.
• Arranging activities for members and the wider community – including being a part of the local tennis leagues.
• Working in the best interests of the membership, visitors to the club and other local stakeholders

Meetings and time required

The committee meet every two months or so. Usually this will be face-to-face in person, however online meetings can take place should circumstances require. Meetings take place in the evening so as many committee members can attend. Committee members are expected to make it to as many meetings as possible, it is not compulsory to attend them all.

Tthe time commitment for committee member varies depending on the individual and their role.  Some people are able to give more time than others, but in every case the rest of the committee is always on-hand to assist when required. On occasions other members will be drafted in where extra help is required, such as a fundraising event.

Who can be on the committee?

A members of the committee must must be a member of the club.

It is important that the committee can draw on a range of skills from the more practical, hands-on to the organisational, administration. To help ensure that the club is run in the interests of all, it is also good to have a mix of voices on the committee so that key issues can be debated and informed by several perspectives.

The committee has a Chair, but it is run as a democracy with no-one person having any more influence or say than any other. However, there may be occasions where the final decision will lie with the Chair for instance in a tied vote at a committee meeting.

Roles and responsibilities

Roles are divided up to ensure so that no single person has too much to do with the key roles as:

• Chair – leads the committee and runs the meetings. Whilst they are the leader of the group, this does not mean that they take responsibility for everything as many areas will be delegated, both to committee members and to other members. The Chair, however, is expected to take an active interest in everything happening within the club
• Secretary – principally responsible for the keeping of minutes and other correspondence to ensure transparency
• Treasurer – keeps acurate financial records and ensures bills are paid and the best investments are made on behalf of the club.

Of course, these are just three positions. Whatever your skill set is, there will be a position for you on the committee.

How to get involved

The committee is always looking for new people to get involved, and fresh ideas and different skills will always be required. Never been on a committee before?  Having no prior experience is not an issuee as the most important qualities are to care about the Club and to be happy to put your point of view across.

The Club is entirely dependent on members to run it so please give thought to the possibility of becoming involved, even if in a small way.

To find our more how you can get involved speak with one of the current committee members.