A BIG THANKYOU TO:  Matt Atkin, Gary and Phil Cauldwell, Rod and Ruth Newsome, Sue Taylor, Claire Wood and Graham Taylor who volunteeed this August Sunday Bank Holiday for an afternoon of essential grounds and clubhouse maintenance.

• COMPLETE - MAIN PATH: Fabulously trimmed hedge.
• COMPLETE - PICKLEBALL COURTS: Fantastic job on cutting brambles, weeding, new  weed sheeting, rubbish cleared and swept. 
• COMPLETE - COURT 1: Tidy job on weeding and resecuring weed sheeting.
• COMPLETE - CLUB HOUSE: Massively declogged gutterings, adjusted background heating thermostat for better yet economic frost resilience.
• COMPLETE - COURTS & PATHS: Spot weeded tarmac and walls.

Volunteers help hugely to keep the cost of running the club to a minimum allowing the club to offer really great, affordable membership fees.

ONGOING JOBS LIST FOR 2025

Lots of members volunteer regularly in a wide range of ways. If you haven't managed to find a way of helping out sometime over the past three years for a couple of hours or more, here is a list of some items that need attending to. You may have spotted other very worthwhile things, too in which case, if they need a bit of spending, check briefly for a go ahead with a committee member then keep receipts so you can be reimbursed for any materials you needed. Thanks.

1. Rubbish Disposal/take away - we have no bin service (ONGOING)

• Remove broken/bent items: badly distorted tennis rackets.
• Remove lost property: clothing, water bottles and other unclaimed stuff.
• Remove and re-donate: sorted tennis balls from the labelled 'schools' and 'dogs' boxes to pass on to others. (Please do not take balls that have been set aside for coaching and social).
• Collect all tennis balls and rubbish from the courts when you see them. (Thanks James Fisher for regularly doing a litter pick).
• Take a full kitchen bin bag to dispose of.

2. Clubhouse (ONGOING JOBS)

• Please, if you take items away to be washed, it is important that they are returned promptly (within the week) and not forgotten about.
• Tidy up
• Top coat of paint needed on several doors in the clubhouse (donate paint and brushes/rollers).
• Sort tennis balls from the broken coaching basket using a drop test: 1Dud = dog balls box; 2low bounce = schools; 3decent bounce but worn=coaching basket; 4good bounce plus fur=social tennis cupboard.
• Fit carbon monoxide alarm above the boiler.
• ON HOLD Foyer ceiling - New plaster needs painting with kitchen (mouldproof white paint - none in stock).

3. Groundworks (ONGOING JOBS)

• SIDE of COURT 3: Cut brambles, weed, lay down new  weed sheeting, clear rubbish, and sweep. 
• COURT 1: Overlay more weed cover sheeting. at the side of court 3 once areas have been cleared of weeds and tidied.(bring spare large stones or broken flags to weigh down the sheeting please; tent pegs + lids in big white cupboard).
• Strim grass banking near court 4 and split level near court 3  - (bring strimmer).
• Remove stone chippings from outside corner of court 1 and place at the back of court 1 wall to prevent kids/intruders  throwing these onto the bowling green.

4. Fences (ONGOING)

• ONGOING - Fence wire court 1 (approx 9ft high) broken - replace/repair wire then tie in (bring ladder, pliers, wire cutters, spanners/socket sets, tensioners, WD40) one 50ft length of wire only left,  tie wire in locker).
• ONGOING - Replace Court 3 bottom wire broken. 
• ONGOING - Court 4 multiple wires need replacing.
• ONGOING - Rusty wire court 2 (approx 3ft high) very slack, assess to tighten or replace wire, then use tiewire to tie the sagging netting back into a supported position. 
• (New wire purchased by GT ... about 50ft in stock need another 200ft on total across the site).

5. Handrails (ONGOING)

• White handrail tennis clubhouse steps, wire brush and repaint (bring wire brushing equipment electric or mannual, white paint? check stock and brush).
• Green handrails - spot rust removal then repaint (bring wire brushing equipment electric or mannual, green paint? check stock and brush).

6. Mending and Making (ONGOING JOBS)

• Multiple mini-racket handles need taping up. (stanley knife, electric tape, resuse lengths of old overgrips by turning inside out).
• Sinage - permanent Court 1 banking safety signs  (see Graham).
• Mend Ball Machine - suction control  flap perished

7. Communication

• Venue Sinage - Main gate sign detail contacts/website for Tennis and Bowls.
• Any flyers to put on the club website - send in a PDF or JPG via the club email please so it can be uploaded.

8. Vaccancies - ALWAYS Looking For People

• NEW CLUB SECRETARY as Paul is stepping down due to other committments.
• Committee - other vaccancies could include Pickleball Activator, Tennis Match Secretary; Events Organiser; Funding and Grants Secretary
• Welfare team - a second person is required for if the Welfare Officer is not available, DBS required.

9. Tennis

• Additional coaching staff previously qualified.
• Volunteers to help deliver Sunday Family Tennis. ONGOING - Claire,  AN Others please. Many thanks to all the adults for supporting the littles ones in the Young Family session and regular club members who regularly welcome players attending open day visits at the various club social tennis sessions.

10. External Meetings

• SDLTA meeting  February 2024 (February). Graham
• Yorkshire LTA meeting (November/December)

If lots of players take 10-15 minutes out of their playing time once-in-a-while, a great deal can be achieved collectivly at times to suit you. Alternatively, if weekend working parties don't suit, you may want to consider grouping together with some friends to form a working team during the week to tackle something from any of the sections 1-10 of the ONGOING JOBS list above.