Good afternoon, everyone,
If you managed to get to the end of last week’s newsletter you were warned that this week’s newsletter is from your Treasurer, Clive Allenby as our Chairman, James Max has been given a well-earned week off. Oh dear, I hear you say – we know what’s coming – and you are absolutely right.

Although we now have more activities on offer than in a very long time and although your Club has recovered remarkably well from the pandemic, there are still loans to be repaid and essential expensive projects to undertake. One such project is the thatched roof on our clubhouse.

Today sees the launch of our thatched roof fundraising campaign!

The thatched roof on our clubhouse is in a very poor condition but it is part of our heritage and needs to be preserved for the benefit of future generations. We have been unsuccessful in a number of grant applications, so replacing the entire roof is financially out of reach but renovating the parts most in need of attention is financially within reach – with your help.
We have engaged Master Thatcher, James D Stock to carry out this work later in the year at a cost of over £90,000. Part of this cost has already been funded, but we now urgently need to raise the other substantial part of this cost.
We have planned a Fundraising Day on Saturday 30th July with lots of activities and tournaments, and a Fundraising Evening Dinner, Dance and Auction on Saturday 1st October.
Please put both these dates in your diaries and have a look at what’s on offer on Fundraising Day HERE.

A donations page on our website has opened today. Tournament entries on 30th July will be free to members and the cost of the Evening Dinner, Dance and Auction on 1st October will be at an affordable price, so PLEASE DONATE no matter how small – CLICK HERE.
I hope you will agree that your Club is looking in great shape and well on the way to recovering its former glory, we have gone from distress to redress in a very short space of time, and our credits are exceeding our debits (sorry, couldn’t resist), and we have doubled our membership since the low point in April 2021.

Triangular Tournament
Our President, Martin Tinsley has resurrected the Frinton triangular tournament between the Tennis, Golf and Cricket Clubs. The cricket match is on 10th July, Tennis & Croquet on 16th July and Golf on 22nd July. Martin tells me this tournament is great fun and at the same time well contested. Sign-up sheets are in the foyer.

Tennis
The draws for the Club Annual Tournament are now up on the board in the Clubhouse. Please ensure you play your first-round matches by the deadline date as extensions will not be granted.
We have entered an amazing total of 14 teams in this year’s Colchester & District League. Thanks must go to Bill Greeno for undertaking this massive role and to all the team captains for arranging matches each week. This commitment is already paying off with our teams already well placed in their respective leagues:

Mens A – 2nd in Premier
Mens B – 3rd in Div. 1
Mens C – 1st in Div. 5
Mens D – 2nd in Div. 5
Mens E – 4th in Div 5
Ladies A – 3rd in Premier
Ladies B – 1st in Div. 3
Ladies C – 1st in Div. 5
Ladies D – 4th in Div. 5
Mixed A – 1st in Premier
Mixed B – 3rd in Premier
Mixed C – 2nd in Div. 4
Mixed D – 3rd in Div. 5
Mixed E – 6th in Div. 5

As mentioned last week, we are hosting the British Tour next week. This is a tennis circuit for professional players wanting to compete on home soil, young stars with ambitions of going pro in the future, and national level players who still compete at a high level – in other words, the very best of British tennis, so come on down to watch. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

We have our Wimbledon Whites tennis tournament with champagne & strawberries on Sunday 10th July – BOOK HERE.

Don’t forget we have Social Mix In Sessions on Tuesday’s at noon and Saturday’s at 15.00. This is a great opportunity, particularly for new members, to have some good games and to meet other members. David Wood has done a fantastic job organising the Saturday sessions for the last year – thank you David – but David has decided to step down so we are hoping that someone else will be willing to take this on. If interested, please contact Bill Greeno – tennis@fosltc.com

Tennis Coaching
Many offerings are available and in the pipeline. After school and Saturday groups, subsidised LTA youth start courses and match play opportunities are now available. Saturday members feeding drills return and adult groups galore. Also our summer holiday junior tennis camps which start on 20th July are filling up fast – please get in touch with Peter Richmond for more information – neetacademyhq@gmail.com.

Squash & Racketball
Our offering has been reinvigorated by Vickie Prow, Gavin Downing and Jack Bruce and our thanks go out to all of them. For example, 11 minis recently attended one of our Squashstars sessions which were launched on 6th June. This England Squash program encourages children to collect stardust in skills such as hand-eye coordination, racket work, movement, balance, and match play. These coaching sessions are unfortunately fully booked now, but we will keep you updated about any other upcoming events.

Please see our “Home fixture list” HERE in case you are interested to know when our Squash matches are happening. Spectators are more than welcome!

Walking Football
Why not try out walking football, particularly if you are a social member. First week is free of charge! CLICK HERE to find out more.

Croquet
Don’t forget about our FREE coaching sessions on Saturday afternoons! 3pm – 5pm on Lawn 16. Come and join us! The first 6 sessions are FREE. Book with Richard – croquet@fosltc.com

Events – it would be a shame to miss out
Midsummer Bash on Friday 24th June – delicious food, drink and dancing – free entry (Yes – FREE), DJ and dancing in the ballroom. The Poolside kitchen will be open for food 19.30 to 21. 30, bar will be open for drinks, special offers on the night. Limited places so please book by email glenys@fosltc.com or call 01255 674055.

Italy Uncorked Wine Tasting on Friday 8th July – don’t miss out on this great fine dining and wine event. Steve Pryer (former Evening Standard/Daily Mail food and wine critic) will introduce top quality wines from around Italy and our chef will be pulling out all the stops to prepare some delicious canapes and a two-course dinner. Great value for money, selling fast but tickets still available – BOOK HERE.

Merchandise
Our new merchandise has proved extremely popular and is selling fast. You can see the full range HERE and you can order your brand new kit here using the code MEMBER10 to receive your Member’s discount. Also don’t forget about your beach towels, sports towels and mugs which can be bought from the office.

Swimming
With the temperature breaking into the 30’s many of our swimming slots are becoming fully booked but are not fully attended.
If you have booked a slot and cannot attend, please cancel your slot to allow others to attend. Cancellation instructions are on the confirmatory email you receive when booking. Thank you.

Well done Katy and team!
Well done team Katy for raising an amazing amount for St Helena Hospice! We are sure your sponsorship of £ 1000.00 will help more local people to be cared for where they wish, with the comfort and respect they hope for. What a generous gift to give!

Dates for your Diary
Full details are on the website – info & online booking here

Sunday 19th June – Father’s Day Sunday roast lunch – fully booked!
Friday 24th June – Midsummer Bash
Friday 8th July – ‘Italy Uncorked’ – wine tasting and fine dining
Sunday 10th July – Wimbledon Whites Tournament with Champagne and Strawberries!
Friday 22nd July – Karaoke
Saturday 30th July – Thatched Roof Fundraising Day
Saturday 1st October – Thatched Roof Fundraising Evening Dinner, Music & Auction

Cupcakes!

We have some delicious gluten free cupcakes on sales now! Come and grab some before they all go!

That’s it for now… James will be back next week, so in the meantime, I wish you a great week ahead, please pop down to your Club, make the most of all the activities on offer and encourage your friends and family to do so as well. Oh – I nearly forgot – please remember to donate!

Clive Allenby
Club Treasurer

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