RATC Summer ‘25 Newsletter

The sun has certainly been shining, the courts have been busy, Summer is very nearly in full swing.  We hope you are making the most of the good weather, long may it continue……

A very warm welcome to all our new members, we encourage you to come along to any of our social events held throughout the year, they are a great way to meet other members, find new hitting partners and generally, have fun!  Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates.  

Club Updates

Get Ready for Wimbledon

Mark your calendars! To celebrate the start of the world's oldest tennis tournament, our American Tournament on Sunday June 29th is having a bit of a Wimbledon makeover.

Think: Strawberries & Cream, Pimm's and delicious home-baking. We’ll also be cooking up burgers on the BBQ.

Calling all bakers! If you'd like to impress us with your culinary talents and contribute to our Wimbledon spread, please feel free to bring along some home-baked treats. (Did someone mention Pavlova? Just a hint!). If you do plan to bake please let Jenny know.

Club Welfare Officer & Safeguarding:

The safety & wellbeing of all members and visitors to the club is paramount. A copy of the club’s “Safeguarding Policy” is available to read, in a folder, kept  in the main clubhouse; it can also be viewed on the club website.

• Fiona Clarke is the club’s dedicated welfare officer, Fiona is here to support everyone with any concerns or issues they may have regarding the wellbeing of everyone at the club. Feel free to reach out to Fiona anytime if you need assistance.
• E: f_clarke24@hotmail.com T: 07757 495 374

Box League:

The box league will return in Autumn.

Highland Tennis League Update:

With just two weeks of competition remaining our teams currently rank as follows:

N.B. Tubes of tournament balls (used once) can be purchased for £4. If you’re interested, please contact Jenny

Club Clothing:

Team colours and kit are available to purchase online  HERE  At the moment only the Sapphire Blue option is available which is the RATC Team Colour, new colours will be available very soon.  

Coaching Schedule:

We are working on the summer coaching schedule which will include Summer camps for the kids during the school holidays.  Please keep an eye on Facebook for updates.

American Tournament:

We kicked off the season with Kim Beattie winning the first tournament of the season followed by Irene England taking home the trophy in May -  congratulations ladies!  We continue to host a Tournament & BBQ on the last Sunday of each month and a social tournament in the middle of the month.  These are a great way to meet other members and enjoy some social tennis.  

Fundraising:

We're always looking for ways to improve the club, and fundraising plays a vital role. We have secured a stand at this year’s Thunder in the Glens, Fiona & Lj are heading up the planning committee, watch this space to find out how you can support. 

A massive thank you to everyone who is using Easyfundraising for their purchases, we really appreciate your support. 

This month based on your purchasing the club has received a donation of £106.81! 

How it works:

1. You create a free account on the Easyfundraising website or app. When you sign up you choose “Rothiemurchus & Aviemore Tennis Club Court Project” as the cause you want to support.
2. For example - if you are  buying a new racket from a sports shop online, booking a holiday, doing your weekly food shop or even buying car insurance. Instead of going directly to the retailer's website, you just start your shopping journey via the Easyfundraising website instead which then takes you through to all the major retailers (over 7,000 recognised brands)
3. The retailer then pays a "Thank You" commission back to Easyfundraising because they recognise your sale has come via their website
4. Easyfundraising keeps a portion of the commission and donates the rest on to our club, all at no extra cost to you, you pay the exact same price for your shopping. The retailer pays the donation, not you.

Your Committee:

Your committee members are working hard to keep the club running smoothly. Here's a quick introduction:

• Fiona Clarke - Chair & Welfare Officer
• Yvonne Birnie - Treasurer
• Jenny Sime - Secretary
• David Hannah
• Eve Wilkinson
• Lyndajean Fishpool
• Nick Morgan
• Anne-Marie Phimister
• Jo Evans

Feel free to approach any of us with any questions or suggestions.

Visitors to the Club:

We encourage you to bring visitors to the club, a reminder that a visitor who lives locally can play up to a maximum of 4 times in a year and you MUST enter their details when booking the court  as there is a small visitor fee to be paid.  If your visitor likes to play regularly, perhaps they should consider becoming a member.

Club House & Outdoor Toilet Access:

Keys are available and can be purchased if you would like to have access to the clubhouse.  Please contact Jenny if you would like a key.  Keys cost £15 each.

Don’t have a key or you’ve forgotten it - the code to access the outdoor toilet is: C1920Z

And finally, our thanks to… Roland for volunteering to fix the fence which collapsed during some extremely windy weather, to David for sourcing our new green & yellow chairs and to Yvonne for preparing the hanging baskets. We appreciate it!

We look forward to seeing you on the courts soon!

Best regards,

The Rothiemurchus Tennis Club Committee