Dear All,

It is with a heavy heart that I have to confirm the Basildon Tennis courts will be closed until further notice.  I hold out some small hope that the Government will see sense at some stage and agree with the LTA's observation highlighted below - forever the optimist.

I will take this opportunity to give the courts another demoss treatment - the problem with not playing on them is that the moss will come back with a vengeance. If anyone has the time to give me a hand, please get in touch!

Lydia Berks

BTC Chair

Please see below exert of an email just received from the LTA:

Despite the strong case we and many of you have put forward to Government, we're sorry to confirm that the new restrictions being introduced from tomorrow mean you will not be allowed to play tennis in England for the duration of the national lockdown, as a result of the closure of all outdoor tennis courts as well as indoor facilities.

We believe that if people are being encouraged to take part in exercise during lockdown and are allowed to meet someone else from a different household for a socially distanced walk, they should have been able to play tennis against each other on either side of a net.

However, whilst we are disappointed with the outcome, we respect the decision the Government has taken and now ask all those involved in tennis in England to adhere to it.

We know these restrictions will have a significant impact on the whole tennis community, and our focus now will switch to campaigning to ensure that as much grassroots tennis activity can resume as soon as possible, including both indoor and outdoor tennis.

We'll continue to keep you updated with the latest information in the coming days and weeks on our dedicated coronavirus information page.

Dear Members and Lower & Upper Basildon Residents,

Welcome back to Tennis! I know you will have missed playing and the sooner we get you back on court, the better! However, there are some "new normals" we are all going to have to get used to in light of Coronavirus. If everyone adheres to the new measures, we can still enjoy the wonderful game and at the same time, keep each other safe and healthy! Over the next few days, we will be sending out invites to sign up to activities we will still be able to run, but you will only be able to sign up if you are a BTC member. We will send information out for Junior Camps once we know school holiday dates.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY!

From now on, the courts will be padlocked with a number lock.  Everyone who wants access to the courts to play Tennis, (this does NOT include exercising your dog, playing football or riding your bike/scooter/roller skates) will need to sign up via the Basildon Tennis Club (BTC) website.  Once you are a member, you will be given access to the new Court Booking System.  Once you have signed up, please give admin 24hrs to process the request and send you an email with the link to the Court Booking System – remember to make a note of the number lock code at the top of the online form. Please note: you must vacate the court 10 mins before your slot ends.

Please see below for access details:

Before considering the following Memberships, please know that these courts are maintained by the BTC, funded through memberships, income from coaching and fundraising (the later has been curtailed by Coronavirus).

The cost of joining as a BTC is comparatively low to private clubs because the BVHRG pay for the majority of repair work (when the courts get worn out and too dangerous to play on).  The BVHRG do this to ensure that the courts remain in the community.

It is the duty of the BTC to make up the difference to this enormous cost as much as possible and not to deplete the BCVRG resources.   Therefore ALL profits BTC make go into the sinking fund.

BTC Membership (Fee applied)

Includes:

• Access to Court Booking System (unlimited)
• Access to courts at ALL TIMES
• Entry to Wimbledon Ballot
• Access to Coaching, Drills and Squads (extra charge)
• Access to Box League, Club Nights, Team Training and Club Tournaments
• Access to Junior Camps (extra charge)

OR

Resident Membership - Open to Upper and Lower Basildon Residents ONLY

Includes:

• Access to Court Booking System
• Please consider donating to the cost of maintenance and upkeep of the courts and surrounding area – payable to:
• Basildon Tennis Club - Sort Code: 30-96-96 Account no: 56885960
• Restricted access to courts OUTSIDE of these times:

Weekdays (1st April-30th Sept)  18.00 - 21.00

Saturdays  11.00 - 17.00 & Sundays  10.00 - 18.00 (throughout the year)

IT IS PARAMOUNT THAT YOU READ THE FOLLOWING

LTA GUIDELINES BEFORE YOU TAKE TO COURT

…..and finally, please lock yourselves INTO the courts whilst you play and please lock up before you leave.

NOTICE TO ALL TENNIS PLAYERS

Basildon Tennis Club remains shut for tennis for the foreseeable future.

In this rapidly changing situation the club strongly advises users to follow the latest government advice concerning social distancing and the safe use of outdoor public spaces.

Please do not use the clubhouse during this time!

For club updates, please follow us on facebook

(Basildon Tennis Club at the Village Hall Recreation Ground)

News around how we stay safe from Covid-19 is changing hourly, and we at BTC want to make sure we are supporting government advice.
Exercise is important for both our physical health & mental well-being, and the government (as well as the LTA) recommend we continue exercising as much as possible.
As we are an outdoor club, then the LTA currently advise we stay open & offer sessions for both adults & children. We will be limiting numbers to ensure social distancing is adhered to, but we ask for your support in the following areas:
- Only come to a session if you are feeling well & there is no illness in the household.
- Be careful to wash hands regularly & maintain good distance on court, with no hand shakes.
- Use your own judgement to ensure that your children are healthy & make sure they have hand sanitizer with them.
- Access to Club house restricted to coaching staff.

Dear All

Thank you to everyone who ‘opted in’ to Wimbledon tickets this year. We have secured 10 pairs of tickets in all.

Please make sure that you have fully paid your Membership subscription by Wednesday 1^st April in order to be included in Basildon Club’s Draw, which will be taking place on Friday 3^rd April.

Good luck to everyone.

Teresa