Welcome to our 1st newsletter of 2023. We skipped the January edition while we focused on preparing the briefing papers for the AGM.

AGM

We held a well-attended meeting on Monday.

All motions were approved and there were some wide-ranging and forthright discussions. Thank-you for your active engagement, all who came along. We will issue the minutes shortly.

After two years of excellent work as our Social Chair, Bobby Mercandino is stepping down from the role. It was agreed that we should seek a replacement to join the Club Council and take on this important position, with a slightly wider commercial brief.

2023 will be a quieter year for the club in terms of project work on our facilities, notwithstanding that we will maintain a programme of smaller, continuous improvement activity.

As mentioned at the AGM, one medium sized project that we will proceed with, is the overdue refurb of the women’s showers, and we would like a couple of our women members to help form a small working group to oversee the design, supplier selection, and implementation.

All in all, we now have a number of volunteer opportunities for you!

1. Social Chair.
2. Women’s showers working group.
3. Welfare Officer. We are delighted and proud to have a record number of 400 junior members. This role is essential for their safeguarding and it is a mandatory role for the club.
4. Squash & Racketball Chair. Our Club Chairman still retains his original role as S&R Chair, and it would be better for our governance (and for him!) if that were not the case.
5. Squash & Racketball Committee. A number of our current S&R Committee members have performed their role for some years now, and it’s probably time to freshen things up. Inevitably, in any voluntary role, enthusiasm starts to wane after a while.
6. Squash & Racketball Club Night. The volunteers who run the social tennis sessions do a brilliant job. We are currently without a Club Night for the S&R section. Among other things, they play a vital role in helping to integrate new members.

We try to make the volunteering experience with our club an enjoyable one, where you’re able to have an impact in your area of responsibility, where you’re supported by your colleagues, and where your time commitment doesn’t become an overload.

If you feel you’d like to ‘give back’ in one of the above areas, then please contact our Club Chair, John Shaw, on john.gs@btinternet.com

John is happy to have a chat with anyone who’d like to know a bit more about any of these roles before putting their name in the frame.

Tennis

We encourage tennis members to complete the Berkhamsted Tennis & Fitness Coaching Survey which will remain open for a little while longer at the following link Berkhamsted Tennis Coaching Services Survey (office.com)

It only takes a few minutes and it is vital to gain feedback to help continue and build upon the coaching options provided by BTF.

Spring Term courses are all now up and running - see the weekly update on these for more information.

The dates for our home matches in Division 1 of the National Tennis League will soon be announced. This will see the highest standard of tennis ever played at our club, and we will be encouraging as many of you as possible to come down and lend your support. Look out for more news soon.

Squash and Racketball

Tuesday marked the 10 year memorial for Harry Faulkner - see the plaque next to court 1 to know more about Harry.

On Saturday, we are holding a Remembering Harry afternoon and evening, with a round-robin tournament followed by exhibition matches featuring 4 world class professional players (including a former WT10 and a former WT20), and a raffle with some incredible prizes, with all proceeds going to the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity.

It’s a sell-out and will be a fantastic occasion.

The 2023 Club Championship draws are out, and now posted to the wall in the squash corridor. Get organising, get playing!

We have decided to remove the Solo Player option from the court booking system. It was becoming an over-used loophole for people to bring along a non-member without paying a guest fee. Members are, of course, still welcome to turn up on the day to find an empty court for solo practice.

Social

Coming up soon, on Wednesday 8th March, we have the Rock And Roll Bingo Night, with all proceeds going to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Tickets are pretty much sold out already, but we can always accommodate a few more - they’re available from the bar.

That’s all for now. Before closing this email, scroll back up and re-read our request for volunteers. Then put your name forward to John - go on!

Club Council