Hello!

What a windy and wild weather week it’s been. Thankfully, there’s such a lot you can do at the Club indoors, we hope you’ll get involved in all the classes and activities we have lined up. Later in the newsletter I’ll set out details of our next Wine-tasting and Dinner on Saturday 19th November which we hope you’ll want to attend and explain the issues with the bubble. And there’s some important messages to bring you up to date too. Here goes!

AGM
The Club’s AGM will take place on Friday 11th November. Meet for drinks from 6pm and we’ll get going at 6.30pm. This will be an important opportunity for us to update you on where we are, the challenges that lie ahead and our plans for the coming 12 months. In addition to that we’ll be (re) appointing our Treasurer and electing a new Member to the Board whilst ratifying our current committees. And it’s your chance to ask questions too. We always try to ensure that not only is there transparency in what’s going on but also that any good ideas are picked up and we evolve the Club for you, our Members.

We are fully aware that recent interest rate rises, the cost of living, fuel prices and everything else that’s going on in the economy is having a major impact on you and also the Club’s operations. Whilst we have achieved notable successes in recent months, we also have significant challenges ahead and your continued help and support will be necessary to make sure we can navigate the coming months.

If all that important stuff isn’t quite enough to persuade you to pop down… Chef will be serving some of his delicious and tasty canapés. AND you want more? Go on then, we have a few bottles of the King of Soho Gin. Why not try their London Dry or Pink Variorum? Once again this wonderful small distillery have sponsored our Christmas Trees at the Club and we thought you may want to give it a try. So we’ll be doing a BOGOF! Buy one measure and get a second free. Drink responsibly, of course! When it’s gone, it’s gone!

Just so we can ensure we have catered appropriately, please can you register your attendance with Rebecca on rebecca@fosltc.com

You can see the Agenda HERE
Minutes from last year’s AGM HERE
Review the consolidated accounts HERE

Tennis
Booking courts is essential. There have been recent incidents where booked courts have been used by others and so on. For the system to work your cooperation would be appreciated. We operate a ‘light touch’ management of our courts and rely on your goodwill to make sure fees are paid and bookings upheld. If you have any problems booking, please get in touch with the office and they’ll help you with procedure and password issues. We’d rather not have to introduce a more heavy handed approach to managing our courts!

Now, we have a new weekly (term time) Adult Development Squad starting on Saturday 19 November. Do join us!

All Team Players (plus competitive juniors by invitation only) are welcome to this squad style coaching group covering singles and doubles techniques and tactics. Spaces are limited to 8 players.

Sign up can be done weekly on Clubspark at £11 (£13 non-members) – found HERE. Alternatively payment for the full 5 weeks (Saturdays, 19 November to 17 December) can be made via bank transfer at a discounted rate:
Members £50 / Non-members £60

Please email neetacademyhq@gmail.com for more details.

Walking Football
On Tuesday 8th November two teams from Walton Swifts FOS|WF will be in competition at Billericay Town FC against two teams from each of Billericay Town WFC, Ingatestone WFC, and Leyton Orient WFC. Wish us luck! We’ll let you know the results next week. And if you’re over 50 and are interested in Walking Football? Please get in touch with John Kilby via the office to get involved.

Back to the Tennis
Do you know anyone who would like to learn tennis? Please spread the word about our beginner’s classes on Wednesdays at 9:15am. More info HERE.

Mulled Wine Progressive – Internal Tennis Tournament
On Saturday 3rd December we have our Mulled Wine & Mince Pie Tournament – FREE entry! The competition is free to enter to all tennis and AAA members. Players will be served mulled wine and homemade mince pies will be available too! There’ll be a prize for the player in the best Christmas outfit.
Sign-up sheet is now up on the tennis board or sign-up online HERE.

Social ‘Club’ Tennis
Free to all Tennis and AAA Members! Get to know new members and enjoy some non-competitive match play by taking part in our club tennis sessions.
Each session is 90 min long and gives players the chance to pitch up and play doubles with other Club members.
Everyone is welcome to join in!
Tuesday 12 noon
Saturday 3pm
Followed by drinks in the bar!
Weather not an issue, the bubble is booked throughout the winter!

Bubble
By way of update, the inclement weather has caused our bubble some issues. Without wishing to go into too many details the heavy rain caused the electrics to trip. The generator kicked in but seems to have blown the fan motors. The bubble, somewhat deflated, flapped around in the wind, causing some fairly serious damage. We are on the case to establish what went wrong, what fixes are required and whether the installation this year exacerbated the problem. We’re really sorry if your play has been disrupted but we’re working hard to get everything fixed properly. A big thanks to Richard Baldwin who rushed down to apply a quick fix and to Steve, our groundsman, along with help from our Members Tom, Ryan, Louis and James who all helped to bring the situation under control. It could have been a lot worse.

Meanwhile the bubble IS up and running – please do alert us if you see any problems as we are running off one fan and be careful not to trip over the wires outside for the temporary fix. More news when we have it.

Gym
Our gym is one of the best in the area! And it’s on your doorstep. It’s not just about our amazing kit but our fabulous team of instructors led by Katy. Whether you need help on working out and finding the right machines for you to use or maybe you need one-to-one personal training or decide you want to take part in one of the many classes, there’s a lot on offer!

Technogym
Keep fit from the comfort of your home! Don’t forget that the Gym can now also come to you, via our Technogym Shop. From wellness balls to treadmills – please visit our online shop to see what is on offer. Discounts are available HERE.

Fitness Classes
It’s fairly miserable outside so this might be a good time to bring things indoors! We have 18 fitness classes available every week at the Club. We have membership packages that can include everything into one single payment – and the more you use your membership, the better value it is! For more details – take a look online or speak to Katy – via the office.

Squash
If you have not played squash recently or fancy trying out racketball, we have our two indoor courts for you to book and play on. It does get busy so booking is essential. We have a range of tuition and coaching available with Vickie Prow and her team – so please do enquire if you are interested.

Sportswear
Our FOS Kit has been really popular. And perhaps you’re starting to think about Christmas gifts? Get a head start on your Christmas shopping this year and grab yourself discounted sportswear from our online store! There are some new items for the Autumn and Winter season plus all the regular pieces of bespoke kit – a perfect pressie for someone (or yourself!). Details are HERE.

Roast Sunday Lunch
We have two Sunday lunches available in November. The first is on the 13th and second on 27th November – please book early to avoid disappointment. All the menus and details are now online, so click HERE to view our menus and to book.

Wine Tasting Dinner
Join us on Saturday 19th November – You need to book now! Places are limited and if the last one is anything to go by… you DON’T want to miss it!

Steve Pryer will host – here’s what he has said you can look forward to…
‘This will be an unmissable evening of outstanding food and wine. Thanks to the generosity of several suppliers, some bottles will be above our usual budget, very special and not to be missed.

Connoisseur or just wine lover, there will lots to enjoy. Oh, and there may be some rather special prizes to be won, too. See you there.’ Steve Pryer

Tickets are £65pp and include at least 5 wines, canapés a main course and pudding! All the details of the evening, menu and how to book are HERE.

Christmas Parties
Our party nights are getting booked up, so please visit our website for more info. We all know the Festive dinner and dancing are some of the best nights out of the year – and Chef and his team pull out ALL the stops. We are nearly at capacity for three of the nights and we have some special offers for group booking on the 9th of December. Please get in touch with our events team to find out more. Or you can see the details and book HERE.

Festive Sunday Lunch
This is taking place at the Club on Sunday 18th December. Can you believe this one is getting rather booked up too? The reason is probably because Chef really does go all out to provide a memorable and delicious festive Sunday Lunch. Why not invite friends, family or the teams and regulars you meet at the Club? You can see the menu and book HERE.

New Year’s Eve Party!
I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of New Year’s Eve. Well, I wasn’t until I realised that you can take all of the hassle out of organising, cooking, washing up and clearing up the inevitable mess. Last year for the first time in many years we brought a formal dining and dancing evening back to the Club. It was SO much fun, we have decided to organise another one! Chef will be there with a super menu, the Club will be looking festive and spectacular AND our in-house DJ will be poised, like a gazelle, with a range of banging tracks to get you on your feet to dance away 2022 and say hello to 2023!

A delicious three-course dinner awaits and will be followed by music and dancing until the early hours! Book NOW HERE.

Blimey – what a lot is going on at your Club! I didn’t even mention Carols with Caryll on Christmas Eve or that the Frinton Jazz Club’s return on 13th and 14th January for their Some Kind of Wonderful gigs too! Details are HERE And there’s a lovely write-up of our fundraising success in this week’s Frinton & Walton Gazette and we even feature in the cartoon!

That’s it for this week and we hope to see you at the AGM!

James Max
Club Chairman