SPRING TENNIS NEWSLETTER
A new season is once again upon us! Thanks for renewing your membership for another year. Thanks also to Barry who has spent a huge amount of time over the last few weeks processing memberships, liaising with those on the waiting list and answering queries. With over 600 members, this has become an almost full time job in the month of March!
We will be welcoming all new and renewing members at a social tennis afternoon on Saturday 2nd May. Food will be provided, the bar will be open, and members of the committee will be on hand to answer any queries or listen to any suggestions. That same weekend, we will be holding our annual club maintenance morning (Sunday 3rd May) - as always lots of pruning, painting, cleaning to be done!
We are planning on holding regular, all ability, fun tournaments throughout the year. We are also looking to put on more socials and welcome Hayley Baber to the tennis committee for the purpose! She is already busy planning a Wimbledon themed finals weekend event - but I am sure will be keen to hear any other ideas our members might have! The tennis club has several WhatsApp groups which are all part of one community. If you use WhatsApp please do join the community and browse the groups to see if any are relevant to you - please contact Simon Witts if you have any queries. The community can be joined using the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FGRQNd58wggE0PAOGB6EBF
Please remember to always book individual courts via Clubspark before coming down to the club to play (not required for organised events such as club social tennis). This is not only essential for insurance purposes, but ensures that all members know when courts are free to book. We are always trying to free more courts where we can, but please do cancel courts if you are not going to use them. Please also use Clubspark or the barcodes in the clubhouse to pay for guests and / or floodlights. And note, that guests now have to sign the bar book before enjoying a drink. If you are the last to leave the club in the evening, then please ensure you lock up both the clubhouse and carpark gates.
Invites for group adult and children coaching will be coming out in the next couple of weeks. These are always very popular so please just enrol for one group per member. Let us know if you don't get the chance to sign up before they fill up and we will see what we can do. Team matches are also getting started - as always let a member of the committee know if this is something you would be interested in taking part in. We will once again have 5 men's teams, 2 women's teams and 2 mixed teams entering the local league competitions. Home matches occur most Wednesday and Friday evenings in the spring / summer. Spectators are welcome for any matches, but one of the highlights of the season will see our Men's A and B teams playing against each other on Friday 10th April (from 6.30pm). Members are very welcome to come and watch - the bar will be open and there's sure to be some good tennis on offer!
Lastly, a shout out to Martyn Cornelius, a long standing member, who's charity concert in February raised over £600 for Devon Wildlife Trust. We are always happy to hear suggestions on events that could be held at the club to raise money for good causes. Please get in touch with the committee if you have any ideas!
Enjoy your tennis, be friendly and welcoming to other members, and let one of the committee members know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions (a list of contact details is in the clubhouse foyer).
Best wishes, VP Tennis Committee