A new Season Begins!
The 2025/26 season kicks off on 1 April and we are looking forward to another exciting year of tennis. There's never been a better time to play - our courts have just been cleaned and we are freezing our membership prices for yet another year. You will soon receive details about renewing your membership. Please also try to encourage others who fancy joining us for the first time - details will soon be on our website https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/framptononseverntennisclub/Membership/Join Don't forget that we would be pleased to let newcomers have a free trial go or two!
AGM
At the AGM on 5 March, it was heartening to reflect on a very successful twelve months. A recurring theme was the way we have bounced back from the dark days of Covid, and also the positive impact of our coach Ben Hardwick. Ben hit the ground running when he arrived in early 2024 and has continued to impress; he has been particularly good at developing youth tennis but you will agree that members of all ages and abilities have benefited from his many initiatives. We now have more teams competing in local leagues than ever before, members representing the County at walking tennis for the first time, and we're looking forward to the Play Your Way to Wimbledon challenge. For more details about Ben's many courses see https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/BenjaminHardwickCoaching
The year in review saw us host a 20th anniversary celebration, welcoming back many founder members for a fun quiz and a tea party. As you probably know, we moved our club championships to an earlier date to accommodate the anniversary event and we have decided to stick with that arrangement for 2025 so we can take advantage of the extra daylight (Sunday 6 July - fingers crossed for lovely weather!). We also benefited from grants from the Frampton Fundraisers and Gloucestershire County Council (Build Back Better scheme). Meanwhile, Frampton Court kindly allowed us to stage a tennis challenge for juniors at their most recent Country Fair. As always, we are very grateful for all external contributors who support our club. I would also like to thank the members of the committee and many club volunteers who have helped to lighten the load of running the club. If I start to name names I am sure that I will miss someone out and feel really bad afterwards!
Looking ahead, we will soon be making modifications to our floodlights to avoid excessive glare for residents and we will also be replacing the roof and repairing the veranda at the clubhouse. We are very grateful to our neighbours for the patience they have shown regarding the lights. We have curtailed various activities to cut down on usage over the last couple of months and it will be a relief for all concerned when this problem is finally sorted.
Easter School Holiday Courses
Are your children/grandchildren looking for something to do in the Easter holidays? We may have the answer. Our coach Ben will be hosting fun tennis events for children ranging from 4-16 years old from 10 AM to 2 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays over the two weeks beginning 14 April and 21 April. Each session will cost £25 (plus an additional £2 for non-members). There are price reductions for those who sign up for all four days and there is also a 20% sibling discount. For more information, call Ben on 07807 427586.
Farewell Jan - and goodbye from me as well!
Jan Lloyd-Jones recently stepped down as secretary of the club after serving so brilliantly on the committee for over eight years. She did a wonderful job and is one of the main reasons why the club is on the up again. I am delighted that Jan will remain as a member and I know she is looking forward to participating in our social events. I have also decided to stand down as chair after a three year stint, and this will be my last contribution to the club newsletter. It has been an honour to do the job but personal commitments take me away from Frampton frequently and have made it difficult for me to carry on effectively. Nevertheless, I will continue playing at Frampton and will also still be around to captain the Men's O60s team, organise several round robin tournaments, and - of course - host our annual quiz.
Bob McNally