Club Closure from Tuesday 5 January

A MESSAGE FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT

Dear all

With great regret, following the government announcement on Tuesday evening, the Club is closed with immediate effect until further notice.

We all hope that the vaccines will see the back of this awful virus, but it will take time.  Until we can meet again, best wishes from everyone in Club management and we wish you and your families well.

Richard Abramson

Christmas Greetings

Dear Brondesbury members,

Wishing all members, staff and coaches a wonderful festive season and a happy and healthy 2021.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind members that the Club House and Tennis Pavilion will be closed on 25th, 26th December and on 1st January.

Festive Greetings

AGM documents

At the AGM on November 29, Martyn will be taking us through the accounts on screen.  There is therefore no necessity to download them but you may wish to do so.  Two documents are available for members to view/download:

- The 2020 AGM agenda

- The 2020 accounts

To access these, log on to the Brondesbury website, click on documents -> club documents -> AGM.

As a reminder, the link for the AGM, commencing at 6pm, is below.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82837762683?pwd=WXEvVTVpVnJHUGpFUTQ1ZWd0OFpmUT09

Meeting ID: 828 3776 2683
Passcode: 589625

 

Club AGM 29 November

The Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Sunday 29th November 2020 at 6pm. Due to the pandemic the meeting will take place via video conferencing (Zoom).   As well as Club matters such as the President’s and Treasurer’s reports, it is an opportunity to hear an update from Tennis, Cricket and Squash on their activities over the past (very difficult!) year.

The Zoom link will be as follows:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82837762683?pwd=WXEvVTVpVnJHUGpFUTQ1ZWd0OFpmUT09

Meeting ID: 828 3776 2683

Passcode: 589625

Phone in:  0203 901 7895

The Club Officer roles have to be approved at each AGM.   There are currently individuals proposed for each of these roles, as set out below.

Position Current Candidate Proposed Seconded
President Richard Abramson Richard Abramson Beverley Bamford Martyn Webb
Hon. Secretary Lara Greenfield Lara Greenfield Beverley Bamford Adrian Fletcher
Hon. Treasurer Martyn Webb Marina Heritier Richard Abramson Edward Ben-Nathan
Cricket Director Bob Baxter Bob Baxter James Overy Beverley Bamford
Squash Director Vacant Adrian Fletcher Laura Rakos Adam Lennox
Tennis Director Beverley Bamford Beverley Bamford Edward Ben-Nathan Martin Rizk

Should any other member wish to be considered for a Club Officer position, they should advise me by Sunday 15th November along with the names of two members to propose and second the nomination.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions or require any additional information please don’t hesitate to contact me on [email protected].

Kind regards

Lara Greenfield

Secretary

Club to close from Thursday

Message from Richard Abramson, Club President

I am so sorry to once again announce the closure of the Club with effect from this Thursday, 5 November.  Members will no doubt be aware that this a government requirement as part of the new lockdown.  Arguments have been and are being put that singles tennis should be allowed, but so far the government has held firm that no exceptions will be allowed. 

We will be in touch again once activities can resume.  Meanwhile I hope that everyone keeps up their spirits and their exercise.  (The amount of exercise needed might depend on the quantity of spirits involved.)

With best wishes

Richard

Update from the President

This message is from Richard Abramson to all club members

What an eventful few months we have had!  Much of what has gone on will be obvious to members, but not everything, so this newsletter is to give an overview of where the club is today.

It is very good to see first tennis and now cricket being played again.  I hope that you share my thankfulness for the considerable efforts put in by the many volunteers involved  and the coaches to make it all happen in a timely fashion and in accordance with government and sporting body guidance.  We slowly approach something like normality, but restrictions continue and will further evolve over time.   Tennis and multi sports camps and cricket training are operating, making the club once again a hive of activity, albeit at a social distance!  The schools which use the site during the week expect to resume doing so from September.  Cleaning appropriate to the Covid regime is in place in both pavilions.  As I write, it is possible that squash too will resume soon; let us hope so.

With immaculate timing, some of the first significant projects I had been involved with are refurbishments of the tennis pavilion and the main pavilion bar.  And we can’t use them!  That too is changing though; the tennis toilets have been available for some time and are a boon to many of us, and drinks were served outside the main pavilion for the first time last weekend, accompanying the resumption of cricket matches.  The bar has been made attractive and efficient, and the areas out of public sight tidy and hygienic.  We look forward to a gradual return to full use.

The squash courts have been repainted, new lighting installed and new doors.  Inadequate fencing along the Blackberry path and behind the squash courts has been replaced.  Irrigation and drainage for the cricket squares are being installed.  The next major project is the resurfacing of tennis courts 1 to 3, work on which will begin August 17th.  The tennis committee will continue to adapt the court booking system to meet the circumstances for as long as it is maintained.

The plans for a new court on the bowling green site are on hold for the present, pending more certainty about the club’s financial situation in the light of the pandemic.  This includes work on the car park.  Meanwhile stones have been laid to ameliorate the unfortunate mud bath that emerged after the tennis toilet drain was dug, for which I can only apologise!

My best wishes for an active, happy and healthy summer.

Richard

More Facilities Available

We are pleased to advise in light of some of the lockdown restrictions being eased that with effect from Thursday 4 June the club car park and both the toilets in the Tennis Pavilion and Club House will re-open.

There will be regular cleaning of the toilet facilities and soap and paper towels will be available.  The indoor facilities are available ONLY for the use of the toilets, and members must respect social distancing at all times.

Barnet Council are reinstating parking restrictions from Monday 8 June, so from then onwards the normal restrictions apply to parking on the roads near the club.

Club closure, Wimbledon Ballot and Tennis subscriptions

Message from Club President, Richard Abramson

Following the closure of the club, a number of questions have, quite reasonably, been raised by members.  Exercise is commended even by the government, and family groups can be together, so why not allow family groups to play tennis?  The grounds present a pleasant open space which could be valued by members, and perhaps by the local community, so why shut them off in their entirety?

I would first note that our action is reflected in the closure of all the other clubs of which we are aware.  Closing the tennis courts is a requirement of the LTA, to which the club is affiliated.  (Follow the link on the LTA website.)

Family tennis might be a very attractive idea.  However, even if opening the courts were permitted, the club would need to be sure that different family groups do not mix in the court areas, and that others do not take advantage of the courts being open.  The club has no practical way of ensuring this.

It is a pity to see the grounds gated off.  Our response is in the context of a national emergency under which the government requires each of us to limit the possibility of spreading the virus.  Anyone can exercise without having to use the club grounds.  If our (private) grounds were open, the club would have a responsibility to ensure that they were used responsibly.  Again, we have no practical way to do this.

We all look forward to the reopening of the club and a return to something approaching normal life.  Shakespeare offers solace, comparing separation to the winter season:

As call it winter, which being full of care
Makes summer's welcome thrice more wished, more rare.

Wimbledon Ballot

It is our expectation that, sadly, Wimbledon will be called off.  If it is not, then further notices will explain how we will conduct a ballot.

Tennis subscriptions

The club is reviewing how to treat tennis subscriptions, but has not yet reached a conclusion.  A note will follow soon.

My best wishes for everyone's good health.  Keep fit if you can.

Richard

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