HAIRMAN S REPORT 2003/2004 Season

HVLTC November 2004

C HAIRMAN’S REPORT – 2003/2004 Season We have been working hard this year to improve your club. The Club committees, coaching team, operations team and staff, together with the many enthusiastic members who have volunteered their support and time have all helped to make it a fantastic year for us all. Thank you.

Having achieved our core 2002/3 challenge of creating financial stability for the club, 2003/4 was the start of our journey to deliver the newly created Club Vision - namely to create THE ‘COMPLETE TENNIS EXPERIENCE’ i.e.

1. A full choice of tennis activities, both social and competitive, for all our members 2. A fun, relaxed social environment in which everyone feels at home and where every club member is a host as well as a guest 3. Superb playing, training, social and support facilities 4. A complete coaching programme for every player from the adult beginner to the world ranked junior, delivered by a world Class team of coaches 5. A first class catering service 6. A Leadership, team and management process in which everyone supports each other’s growth 7. Customer service that is second to none 8. And in doing so we will become economically and socially sustainable, help the cause of British tennis, provide a valuable service to the local community and contribute to the future of Halton village

This report reviews our work on each of the 8 elements of our Vision. I hope you find it of interest.

1.) A full choice of tennis activities, both social and competitive, for all our members

RECORD SUMMER SEASON FOR HALTON TEAMS !!

Halton is celebrating one of its most successful seasons, both in local, regional and national competition and my sincere thanks to the Men’s and Ladies Captains (Graham Tallyn & Vicki Walker), the truly inspirational Leadership of Alan Hutcherson in revitalising the Mens tennis and all the Team Captains for their hard work and perseverance during the year.

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 1 a) In the Mens Bucks Shield, the top four men’s teams have won their divisions – an amazing result. The Mens’ 1st team only dropped one match in the Premier Division, confirming them as Champions and winners of the sought-after Bucks Shield. The successful squad included Alan Hutcherson (captain), Aidan Graveson, Peter Thorne, John Edgar, Mike James, Matthew Brown, Danny West, James Morgan, James Woodwards and Stephen Dunklin. b) The 2nd team, under the outstanding captaincy of Andy MacLean, were the Champions of Division 2, winning all their matches and gaining promotion for the second year running. The successful squad included Andy McGrath, Graham Tallyn, Nick Leighton, Phil Bernard, Mark Lane, Phil Duffy, John Hinchliff, Adam Goodman, Neil Block and Stuart Lovell; they now look forward to the challenge of Division 1 next year with great confidence.

Halton’s 3rd team were equally successful – winning all their matches in Division 6A – and guaranteeing their promotion to Division 5 next season. The victorious team included Phil Mayhew (captain), Ken Holroyd, Ralph Holliday, Neil Twogood, Barry Foxcroft, Roy Spindler, Gerard Lys and Kevin Redford.

The 4th team won 5 matches out of 6 in Division 6B, which was just enough to win the division, beating Hambleden by the narrowest of margins of half a rubber - they will also be promoted to Division 5 next year. The successful squad were captained by Paul Hayes and included Kirk Redford, Roger Furley, Gerry Walsh, Nick Smith, David Andrew, Nick Viollier, Marc Trojacek, Matthew Dixon, Colin Read, Jim Hetherington, Alan Pickett, Marty Morgan and brothers Andrew and Matthew Tallyn.

Illustrating the depth of talent and enthusiasm for competitive tennis at Halton, two 5th teams were entered in the Bucks Shield for the first time this year. Both the Mens’ team (led by Peter Strong) and Ladies’ team (captained by Ruth Sawyer) included players who had no experience of playing competitive matches but have enjoyed the challenge and look forward to next season with greater confidence. Well done to both teams – Jen MacLean, Lyndsey McGrath, Florence Glenister, Mariko Francombe, Ellen North, Kathy Frazier, Barbara Wilkinson, Barbara Thomas and Kathy Russell, Peter Taylor, Simon Jennings, Paul Barter, David Herring, Chris Eyre, Robert Pearce, Jon Price, Stuart Morris, Kevin Clausner, Richard Hutcherson, Roger Bolton, Jon Hill, Jonathan Lillycrop and John Rudge! c) The Ladies’ Bucks Shield teams have also enjoyed considerable success this summer. The 1st team are champions of the Premier Division, winning all their matches against Chesham Bois, Gerrards Cross Bull Lane (1st and 2nd) and Stony Stratford. This is the 2nd year running that they have won the Bucks Shield. Players who contributed to the success were Nicola Pitt (a great captain – with a winning touch year after year!), Celia Bristow, Sarah Butcher, Jemima Hayward, Alice Taylor, Emily Quin, Helen Lawson and Claire Hamilton.

The 2nd team (led by Pam Knight) were promoted to Division 1 last year and have come up against very stiff opposition. The 3rd team are Champions of Division 4B winning 6 out of their 7 matches, so now look forward to the challenge of Division 3 next year. The successful squad included Camilla Hayward (captain), Claire

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 2 Roberts, Gill Roe, Val Trowell, Kathy Hill, Pooh Ballantine, Christine Stones, Ann Cooke, Penny Jeffery, Janis O’Connor, Anne Cobley, Sarah Tricks, Jenny Webley and Sylvia Firnberg. The 4th team under the captaincy of Tracey Strong finished the season strongly, winning 3 out of 5 matches and coming a creditable 3rd in Division 5B. The squad of Tracey, Judy Fitch, Jill Dodds, Alison Job, Stacey Taylor, Sam McCaffrey, Helen Parisi, Emma McGrath, Rachel Barnes, Kaye Lillycrop and Jane Chambers have shown a lot of team spirit and are determined to improve on their position next year. d) In the Senior Bucks Mixed Knockout Competition Halton won the final against Haddenham (victory for the 2nd year running) e) In the Aylesbury & District League, Halton have also been very successful, with at least four teams winning their divisions. Ladies 1 (captained by Fay Acott-Smith), Mens 1 (led by Ken Holroyd) and Mixed 1 (captain – Graham Tallyn) have all won Division 1. Veterans Mixed 2 (captained by Terry McGrath) were unbeaten to win Division 2 and the successful squad who included David Cheek, Gill Roe, Camilla Hayward, Janis O’Connor, Jan and David Andrew, Gail Nicoll and Steve Ottridge now look forward to joining Veterans Mixed 1 in Division 1, where Ralph Holliday’s team retained their position winning 5 out of 7 matches.

The Mixed 1 team, including Alan Hutcherson, John Edgar, Nicola Pitt and Celia Bristow beat Chesham Bois in the Aylesbury & District League Final to win the Mixed Knockout Cup. f) The highlight of the Club’s season was Halton Ladies’ success in the KIA National Club League competition. The event started in April with 8,000 clubs across the country, with Halton winning through rounds and regional finals to be included in the top 8 clubs at the Final – an outstanding achievement for a relatively small village club compared to all the other finalists.

The team, superbly captained by Celia Bristow, had won the South Region division without losing a match. To reach the Finals, they had first to beat last year’s national runners-up Esporta Croydon in the regional play-offs. Jemima Hayward got them off to a good start by beating former UK No. 1 Lizzie Jelfs, and after some very close matches, the team of Jemima, Celia, Sarah Burrows, Nicola Pitt and Sarah Butcher beat the odds to win the match 4-2, securing them a place at the National Finals in Bournemouth at the beginning of September.

Supported by a loyal band of Halton Club members, the Halton team of Julia Bone, Jemima Hayward, Celia Bristow and Nicola Pitt performed extremely well. Halton had a tough draw and met the No. 2 seeds, and eventual runners-up, Holcombe Brook (Lancashire) in the quarter finals. Despite Julia playing an amazing match and beating a player ranked 480 in the world, Halton lost the match 2-4. The following day Halton played Hallamshire (Sheffield) in the play-off for 5th to 8th places. Again, Halton were up against a team with higher-ranked players. Julia and Jemima both won their singles. With the score 2-2 after the singles, Halton had to win both doubles matches to secure the match. Nicola and Celia overcame the loss of the first set to come storming back in win in 3 sets, while Jemima and Julia beat Hallamshire’s No. 1 pair 7-6 6-3, which meant that Halton had won the match 4-2 and finished in an impressive 5th place.

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 3 RESULTS

TEAM CAPTAIN DIVISION RESULTS Ladies National Club League 1 Celia Bristow REGIONAL 5th in UK Ladies National Club League 2 Sarah Butcher Division 1 5th Mens National Club League 1 Alan Hutcherson County Premier Champions Men’s National Club League 2 Andy McGrath DIVISION 1 Champions Ladies Shield 1 Nicola Pitt PREMIER Champions Ladies Shield 2 Pam Knight DIVISION 1 7th Ladies Shield 3 Camilla Hayward DIVISION 4 Champions Ladies Shield 4 Tracey Strong DIVISION 5 3rd Ladies Shield 4 Ruth Sawyer Division 5 8th Men’s Shield 1 Alan Hutcherson PREMIER Champions Men’s Shield 2 Andy MacLean DIVISION 2 Champions Men’s Shield 3 Phil Mayhew DIVISION 6 Champions Men’s Shield 4 Paul Hayes DIVISION 6 Champions Mens Shield 5 Peter Strong Division 8 6th BUCKS KNOCK OUT Champions Ladies 1 Aylesbury & District Fay Acott-Smith DIVISION 1 Champions Ladies 2 Aylesbury & District Claire Roberts DIVISION 2 7th Men’s 1 Aylesbury & District Ken Holroyd DIVISION 1 Champions Mens 2 Aylesbury & District Roy Spindler Division 7 Champions Mixed 1 Aylesbury & District Graham Tallyn DIVISION 1 Champions Mixed 2 Aylesbury & District Nick Leighton DIVISION 1 7th Vets Mix 1 Aylesbury & District Ralph Holliday DIVISION 1 3rd Vets Mix 2 Aylesbury & District Terry McGrath DIVISION 2 Champions Juniors (see junior newsletter) *Our junior teams have had a sensational year – succeeding at National level – well done !

FESTIVAL OF TENNIS - CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS I would like to thank Mike James and his team for the smooth operation, which culminated in one of the best WEEKENDS ENTERTAINMENT anyone can remember at the club. Winners were Mens Singles - Pete Thorne Ladies Singles – Leressa Easterbrook Mens Doubles – Graham Tallyn & Phil Duffy Ladies Doubles – Nicola Pitt & Celia Bristow Mixed Doubles – Mike James & Nikki Jeffryes Vets Mens singles – Graham Tallyn Vets Ladies singles – Ricky Gershon Vets Mens doubles – Barry Foxcroft & Ralph Holliday Vets Ladies doubles – Nikki Jeffryes & Fay Acott-Smith Vets mixed doubles – Ralph Holliday & Pam Knight

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 4 We also held the inaugural Halton Open Tournament – won by our very own Mike James and Jemima Hayward!

RAF CHAMPIONSHIPS The RAF Champs were a major success, and supported by great weather, the players were delighted with both the facilities and warm welcome extended by the Club members. For the second time, the RAF held their whole tournament at Halton, and we were able to host them both tennis and socially. The event was a huge success, with Finals day attended by the Chief of the RAF, the Director of the RAF Sports Board, Air Vice Marshal (r’td) Chris Davison and RAFLTA President – Air Marshal Sir Joe French.

MID WEEK TENNIS One of our tactical objectives is to improve our daytime tennis offering. During the summer, organised Tuesday morning tennis became very popular, and I know that many of you will continue to play at this time. We will continue to work hard in this area throughout the winter season I would like to express my thanks to Danny West for doing a great job managing this area

CLUB NIGHTS Our organised sessions continue to be a success, and the extra floodlights have ensured that the quantity as well as quality of tennis has been in evidence. I would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped to organise club nights/Sunday mornings.

FIXTURES PLANNING Sarah Tricks has done a great job for us in the past year and on behalf of everybody, I would like to express our thanks for managing this very complex task for us.

2.) A fun, relaxed social environment in which everyone feels at home and where every club member is a host as well as a guest

SOCIAL We have run a number of very successful and well-attended events this year. In particular, the very busy period around our Finals Day and hosting the RAF in July for the Pig Roast was great fun. Terry’s tournament in September was as popular as ever, with the event oversubscribed. We all had a great afternoon’s tennis – very well organised, (many thanks Terry) followed by an excellent three course meal in the Clubhouse (many thanks Alan & Fiona). Looking forward, we are planning our 2nd Coaches Quiz night on 4th November following the brilliant night we had in March and Adult/Child doubles tournament on 20 th November and finally our Xmas Party on Saturday 18th December. After 5 years in post, Rosie Stevens has stepped down as social secretary due to work commitments. I would like to thank Rosie for all her hard work and enthusiasm. If you have any

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 5 suggestions for events, please contact Michael Hill our new Social secretary. Michael will be canvassing opinion for events next year – so let him know what turns you on !

3.) Superb playing, training, social and support facilities

A detailed Facilities programme is in place for the next 5 years (working with the RAF). We are committed to improving all areas of the Club in line with our Vision, to ensure we have the very best playing, training and support facilities. This year we have completed 1. Floodlights for 3 additional courts 2. A major landscaping project, clearing the old hedges and trees at the far end of the grounds which has opened up courts 7&8 and made them an integral part of the club. Your feedback has been very positive on this change in particular. 3. Courts 7&8 have been changed to Artificial Grass from hard courts. 4. The clubhouse has seen a major refurbishment (almost completed) of the kitchen, lounge and bar areas. 5. Courts 9&10 now have a continently style open plan look, with access at the centre. 6. Gym - expanded into the area, formally the Sauna.

Courts It is our ambition to have the very best playing facilities available, and in particular, we are focused on:

1. Changing our 2 hard courts to a Performance Clay court surface 2. An additional Artificial Grass Court 3. Cover courts 7 & 8, offering us 5 indoor courts in total

The success of our Juniors in National and International competitions has in particular led us to be courted by the LTA, and we are now in a position to discuss grants and interest free loans with them to help us achieve our Vision. There is a lot of further planning and discussions still to take place over the coming months, particularly regarding security of tenure, before we can embark on some of our larger projects, but we are confident that we have the right process and people involved to support these initiatives. The new floodlights on our first 3 courts have already made a significant difference to the club, and despite many difficulties encountered with our electricity supply, they will I am sure make a massive difference to our Winter Playing capability.

Gym I am pleased to announce that the Gym has had a successful first year, so much so, that it has now been expanded in the area which was formally the Sauna. Jon Price is doing an excellent job leading this new element of the Club. He has taken on the challenge of helping us all improve our fitness with great enthusiasm! We are

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 6 very fortunate to have someone who is not only very knowledgeable, but goes about his work with real passion. We also wish him a continued speedy recovery from the accident that has kept him out of action recently. There are currently some 60 members (we still need more please!), and the feedback from everyone using the facility is excellent.

A message from Jon and Vickie Price “thank you to everyone at the club for your love and support through what has been an exceptionally hard time for us both. We have found incredible comfort living within such an exciting community. As you have seen, Jon is making a brilliant recovery and is currently easing himself back into work. “

Clubhouse & Grounds The brilliant volunteer work on the clubhouse is continuing well – led by Andy MacLean and Barry Foxcroft – a big thank you. This is an ongoing project, and any other member who would like to help, please let me know. Behind the scenes, the Kitchen has been retiled (walls and floor) and further substantial improvements made to the electricity supply. We hope to install central heating at some point. The Men’s toilets will also be refurbished shortly.

Grounds Maintenance & Cleaning It takes a big effort to keep the facilities to the high standards that we now enjoy, and I would like to thank Kathy, Frank and George for all their hard work.

Mens Changing room We are looking at options to reconfigure & maximise the space. Current considerations are to reduce the number of showers/toilets, improve the quality – and create a dedicated room for Sports Therapy/massage treatments.

4.) A complete coaching programme for every player from the adult beginner to the world ranked junior, delivered by a World Class team of coaches

The coaching team’s mission is to provide the best possible environment and opportunities in which all players, regardless of age or ability, become the ‘best they can be’.

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 7 The coaching team have been meeting once a week for in service training in a commitment to provide world class coaching. The team have been working closely on developing a common language and philosophy. Uptake on courses has been very high from Mini Tennis to our Adult beginner and Intermediate courses held indoor on a Monday evening. A fantastic spin off from the Adult classes are the number of private doubles matches/games we now see players engaged in during the day. Our Performance Programme continues to improve as we learn from each passing term and our top juniors have performed very well in a number of events, including Robert Mariconda’s superb achievement in reaching the final of the National U13 Clay Court Championships.

Our summer camps were the most successful ever, both in terms of numbers and in providing the local community with a valuable service for young people. A couple of Courts will always be made available to members during the camps – so if you have come down for a hit and it looks busy – please ask one of the coaches.

James Morgan our Head Coach – going for the UK’s top coaching award ! James started the LTA’s Performance Coaches Award course in October 2003, and is now almost finished. The content of the course covers technical, tactical, physical and mental components and analysis of what makes an effective performance coach. Extensive follow up projects are then completed which James passed in full, and presentations are given on every workshop. James is now required to attend 1-2 more days of the course before passing. James is chairman of the Playing committee for the club (comprising Gill Roe, Vicky Walker, Richard Hutcherson, Barbara Wilkinson, Camilla Hayward and Sarah Tricks) dealing with all playing issues re teams and events, including the resurrection of the Halton Mixed Open Doubles tournament. James also chairs the junior committee, which has a vision to provide more than just tennis for the juniors. There are now 11 parents on the committee, which help to organise Mondays (junior night), fundraise and organise trips. (See junior newsletter for more details)

Summary of our Junior activities

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 8 Programme Players Description Mini Tennis Red Introductory level of Mini Tennis played on small court with 72 soft balls – 3 levels (approx age 4 – 6 years) Mini Tennis Mini Tennis played on ¾ court and mini Orange Ball(approx Orange 24 age 6 – 8 years) Played on the full court with slightly softer than normal Junior Green 25 ball (still classified as Mini Tennis by LTA – approx age 7 – 10 years) For juniors progressing from Green. Developing the Junior Bronze 12 fundamental technical and tactical skills on the full court with normal ball. (approx age 9 – 11) Players show proficient basic skills and are seeking to Junior Silver 12 develop finer skills – spin, doubles movement, increased tactical awareness (approx age 10 – 13) Players seeking to compete for the club in Bucks Leagues Junior Gold 20 (approx age 13 upwards) Invitation Only. Young Players aged 7-17, committed to Performance 44 county, national or international competition. training with Mini Squads the coaching team A ‘bridging’ squad between the Halton Performance F.I.T Academy 12 Programme and the F.I.T Academy. An opportunity for top Young Guns club players to learn about the ‘Academy’ ethos and environment The Fone International Tennis Academy at Halton. Players F.I.T 6 committed to international competition – Tennis Europe, Academy ITF (International Tennis Federation) and Senior World Ranking Events TOTAL 227 Tennis. Sarah Butcher has managed our Mini Tennis Programme identifying young up and coming talent and providing them with some fantastic opportunities to develop their games both in training and fun competitions. Thank you Sarah.

We are also pleased to report on our progress with the LTA, regards Performance Accreditation and Sponsorship for our Juniors. Following a recent review with the LTA, Halton has been singled out as having the potential to be within the top 5 Performance Clubs in the Country! This translates into a grant of £10k this year from the LTA, and probably £25k in the future. I would like to thank Mike James our Director of Tennis who has assembled such a passionate team of coaches and I know they look forward to improving their service and skills to a point where our programme is recognised as one of the best in Great Britain.

A message from Mike: “We always welcome your feedback as members:  What can we do better?  Are we meeting your personal coaching needs?

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 9 We have also enjoyed our new member lessons. It has been a great way for the team to meet new members and help them overcome any fears or concerns they might have whilst first joining the club. Linked to this, our new beginner member’s scheme is proving to be a very positive step in helping players to get the most out of their membership.

F.I.T ACADEMY - INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS 2004 saw the launch of the FIT Academy at Halton The on court results have been outstanding, outperforming every other Club based Academy in the whole of Great Britain ! Many congratulations to the Academy coaching team; Shane Fone, Peter Thorne, Mike James, Derek Bone and Jon Price and the full time Academy players - Robert Mariconda, Amanda Carreras, Simon Childs and Julia Bone. The players dominated during the summer with Julia winning an International event, Amanda moving into the Top 100 in Europe, Robert making the Final of the Nationals and Simon won a National Grand Prix event. Amanda has just received her first U18 International Tennis Federation World ranking The standards they set, both on and off court are contributing enormously to the development of the Club Junior section, and it is a pleasure to have these young people at our club. Twice a year, the Academy will be holding an open session for members to come and watch and hit balls with the players.

The financial costs of becoming a world-class player are considerable, and as a Club, we are 100% committed to supporting the Academy in everyway we can. If any member is interested in sponsoring/investing in the future of our top juniors, please contact Mike James.

5.) A first class catering service

a) A major focus for us in the next 12 months is the delivery of an excellent catering and bar service to members. Earlier this year we agreed a new Catering charter - Catering Charter Our Aim is to provide a 1st class catering service to members and guests To achieve this we will:  Learn and use everyone’s name  Warmly welcome everyone entering the bar  Introduce guests and new members to other people  Offer a wide variety of home produced food  Provide fine wines and cask ales  Actively seek your feedback on menu selection  Ensure our prices and quality beat local competition

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 10 b) We recognise the constraints within which Alan and Fiona have to operate in, and in order to help them, in September 2004, the Catering Team was born ! Nick Leighton – Mike Hill - Pauline Shorthouse – Barbara Muston – Di Marston – Jen MacLean Our specific areas of focus are bar/food prices, Menu choices and equipment (crockery etc), Wines and Food ordering, customer service and music. Please feel free to talk to any of the team with your ideas/feedback. We have held many successful events, the highlight of which was the superb Dinner that followed Terry’s tournament; a big thank you to Alan, Fiona and their team.

c) The Pavilion Bar contributes to the financial success of the Centre, through the payment of a franchise fee, contributions to all capital expenditure in the kitchen and also rental income on behalf of the Club for all functions held.

d) A message from Alan & Fiona: “It has been a challenging year. The highlights have been the RAF championships, the club finals day and of course Terry’s tournament supper. The sheer volume of business has grown extraordinarily and in fact between 1stSeptember and 18th December there is not a free Saturday evening. Any members wishing to book anything for next year please do so as soon as possible.

We have recently passed our environmental health check from Aylesbury Vale and hope to have the refurbishment of the bar completed soon, including new bar stools! We are also in the process of buying a Cappuccino machine.

We would like to thank all the members of our staff, Julie Griffin, Jane Goodwin, Matthew Tallyn, Hayley Tallyn, Luke Geddes and Ali Tatum. A special thank you to Kathy Tallyn who has been invaluable.” e) Charity Events held at the club have raised over £9.5k for charity this year. Vickie Walker through two tournaments has raised £3k for Action Medical Research. Linda Petrons held an auction, and tremendous party which raised £5.5k (£5k went to Cancer Research and £500 to Stoke Mandeville Hospital). Terry McGrath raised £1k from his tournament and supper that went to Happy Days Children’s Charity. This is a fantastic achievement, which I think we can be immensely proud of, and many congratulations and thanks to everyone involved.

6.) A Leadership, team and management process in which everyone supports each other’s growth Good Leadership and management is vital to our economic and social sustainability, and behind the scenes at the Tennis Club, there is a clear focus on three key areas: 1. Building relationships and working closely with the RAF 2. Internal Leadership & Management of our Club

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 11 3. Improved Customer Service

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome on board, Gill Roe, joining on her retirement - to look after our Customer Services, and also to thank Lyndsey McGrath who is now supporting Mike James and the Coaching Programme

How are we doing this?

1. Our Operations Team (John Walker, Nick Leighton, Gill Roe, Mike James & Alan Geddes) meet every week, to ensure day-to-day issues are addressed. 2. Nick Leighton is the main link with the RAF, and holds regular meetings with Wg Cdr Tom Wood (RAFLTA secretary) and Sqn Ldr Damian Gange (Facilities & Development). Nick and John are regular participants at the RAF Committee meetings, to ensure that our Strategies remain aligned, and we have the support of the RAF Sports Board. 3. Our main Club, Playing and Junior committees meet monthly, and the Catering team quarterly. 4. We have talked to the Local Council, shared our Vision with them, and have received their enthusiastic support for what is happening at the club. 5. We have recently met twice with the Lawn Tennis Association to work on our plans for improved facilities and Performance funding of our juniors. 6. We regularly provide Personal Development Coaching for all key staff at the club.

7.) Customer Service that is second to none

Feedback The management of the Club is guided by your feedback, and we actively seek it at every opportunity. We have greatly appreciated the time members have spent completing the feedback forms, and in attending the 2 Open Forum evenings. It has provided us with subjects and issues for a customer driven agenda, which we will implement as time and finances allow.

Membership I am pleased to report that the Open Days held were successful and it is great to see so many new faces around the club. Thank you to everyone who helped with the Open Days. Our current membership numbers are sufficient to enable us to be financially sustainable and continue to invest in the facilities. We continue to limit full membership to ensure that membership numbers and facilities are properly matched, to enable everyone to enjoy their tennis and other club activities.

Email addresses & any Change of details

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 12 We regularly use email to communicate with members. Could anyone not receiving information, or have changed their address /telephone numbers or home address, please contact Gill Roe (membership secretary on 01296 425243 or [email protected]) or leave her a note in the admin office.

Web Site Our Web site www.haltontennis.co.uk contains lots of information and updates on performances. I would like to thank Nick Smith for all his efforts. If you have any suggestions, or wish to put information on the site, please let the admin office know.

Press Coverage Our Press Secretary – Camilla Hayward has been a real star this year – with all the on court success keeping her very busy with Halton Tennis Club appearing with some regularity in the local press! The Club also had a superb 2 page spread in ACE magazine

8.) Economic and Social sustainability a) To achieve economic sustainability we need to create regular surpluses to fund asset replacement and improvements. I am pleased to report an operating surplus before depreciation and extraordinary items (landscaping, fencing, new TV, gym etc. ) for the partnership of £60k (50% up on last year) You will also see from the balance sheet at the 30th September that we had joint cash reserves of £37k. Although our cash balance is still good, it is down on last year because we have invested so much in facilities. Capital expenditure in the year was £62K b) We achieved these results by improving our income streams (by 20%) but also we very much appreciate the grant of £17,000 per year from the RAF Sports Board. The Sports Board has committed to this for a further two years. We plan further improvements and investments in our facilities in the future. Our cash flow is getting stronger which will enable us to cover these important investments (we have investment plans of £500K over next few years) and we need to go on improving our income to fund this. c) Our people are our most important asset; we are building a professional team, but still depend heavily on a few people (volunteers) to take on very burdensome roles in the Club. The work by volunteers has made an enormous difference and I would not want to miss the opportunity of thanking these individuals, and also members who have donated their support in other ways, such as supplying the club with various equipment.

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 13 d) Our Operations Team have worked well this year. I would like to thank Nick, Gill, Alan and Mike for all their hard work and a special thank you to Nick Leighton for his contribution in delivering the Club Vision.

Sponsorship Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Club Sponsors – Mark Hayward of Hamnett Hayward, Property Consultants and Estate Agents and Andy MacLean Carpentry who have supported the Club, not just financially, but also their involvement and enthusiasm for what we are trying to achieve here at Halton Tennis Club.

A. MacLean Carpentry

tel/fax 01296 632622 mobile 07789433803 e-mail: [email protected]

John Walker Chairman

“The Complete Tennis Experience” 14