Coronavirus: Mix-In Dubs, Bar Service, Clubhouse

Government restrictions are changing this Saturday, 4th July, as part of getting back to "normal". The LTA have issued new guidance for venues covering these changes. The LTA are still not allowing mix-ins across 4's so all club nights and day time organised tennis with mix ins is still not possible. The new venue guidelines do now allow clubhouses to open for food and drink, including bar service. Hooray you may say! However,...

The LTA guidance is very clear that clubs must follow all the requirements and advice issued by the government to commercial bars and restaurants for how inside service must run. These require, or in some cases advise, no standing at the bar, table service only, booking tables, register of customers kept and maintained for 21 days, additional table cleaning after every customer, maximum of 6 people from 2 households in a group inside and so on. The Committee, in consultation with Di Wingfield and Andy Fyfe, have decided that these inside conditions are too onerous and unworkable for staff and members. We will therefore provide a bar service from this Saturday, but for consumption outside on the patio only.

So, when will the bar service be available, how will it work and who are our bar staff?

Opening times:
We will provide a bar service this Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 5pm to test out our processes. Do come and have a drink if you are down for a game. Thereafter we will provide a bar service each week as follows:
- Mondays 6.30pm to 8.30pm
- Tuesdays 7.00pm to 9.00pm
- Fridays 5.30pm to 7.30pm
We will assess and adjust the timings to meet demand over the course of the next few weeks.

How it will work:
- The clubroom remains closed
- Drinks will be ordered and served through the bi-fold doors in the same way that Friday morning coffee and cake is.
- Please follow social distancing rules while enjoying a drink on the patio or nearby grass areas. This means no more than six people in a group from different households and staying 1m+ apart from each other.
- More blue chairs will be put put out to allow groups to spread out onto the grass area behind Court 4 or on the other side of the clubhouse.
- Bar staff will wear masks and disposable gloves.
- Andy will provide a fridge near the bi-fold doors to allow the staff to provide a speedy service.
- Bottled beers, wine and soft drinks will be available.
- To minimise contact between staff and members plastic glasses will be used.
- Please dispose of your used plastic glass in the mixed recycling bin on the patio.
- Please put empty glass bottles into the red glass recycling wheelie bin which should be near the patio or may by the club entrance.
- Payment will be credit or debit card only using our tap and pay terminal. Cash payment or use of your member card is not possible at this time. The planned drink price increase to reflect increased supply costs has been deferred until members can use their club cards at the bar and obtain the 10% discount.

We will keep the above under review and see how demand and the bar service works to keep members and staff safe. When we feel we can open the clubroom fully we will do so.

Bar staff:
Our bar staff will compromise Jamie McKendrick, Holly Fyfe and James Bartlett.

If you have any questions about the above send Neil an email (neil1miller@aol.com). Hopefully we will have many weeks of lovely weather to enjoy on the patio!

TopSpin Pro Shop reopening Monday 6th July.

From Monday 6th July, Huw will be reopening the Pro Shop in the top clubhouse. The on site stringing service will also resume.

Customers will be restricted to one household in the clubhouse at any one time with members being asked to use the french doors only to access the shop. The shop area will be partitioned off from the kitchen area and please could you try to keep to the 2m social distancing guidelines. Hand sanitiser will be available.

The shop opening times will change for the interim and will be as follows:

Monday 10.30am – 2:30pm
Tuesday 10.30am – 2:30pm
Wednesday 10.30am – 2:30pm
Thursday 10.30am – 2:30pm
Friday 10.30am – 2:30pm
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday CLOSED

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call Huw on 07870 654204.

Read More

Courts 17 & 18 Re-Surfacing Next Week

Our contractor is planning to re-surface the top 2 acrylic courts, courts 17 and 18, starting this Monday, 6th July. These two courts will be out of action until at least Friday10th July to allow them time to fully dry. Please do not go onto the courts before then. If the work is delayed by weather we will put up signs showing when they are out of action until.

This work should rectify the cracking and puddling problems we have experienced on these two courts.

BIffa-Gate

Some dodgy people have been dumping their trash in our large red Bifffa bin. Grrr... this fills it up and we have to get additional collections. It costs us £33 every time it is emptied so if you see someone coming in to the car park to use our bin please tell them to cease and desist!

The bin has been moved so it is more hidden from the road. If you see it has migrated on to the car park please move it back!

Water-Gate (aka leak on London Road)

Many thanks to Pete Lowe who has spend hours chasing down Affinity Water to report the leak that has been running across London Road from under our hedge for over a week. After a lot of "Not us gov" and finger pointing between Affinity Water and Affinity Water for Business a repair is now scheduled for Tuesday 7th July. Traffic lights will be in operation during the repair work.

We believe the leak is on the road side of our meter and therefore we should not see a higher water bill.

Well done Pete for perseverance!