Oswestry Team Tennis Chairman / Trustee Annual Report to 30[th] September 2025
Charity’s Registration Number 1112609
Name of Trustees – Clive Knight, Helen Shiel, Hugh Roberts, Ruth Sperring, Claire Anderson
Structure
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OTT as well as being a registered charity is also an LTA affiliated tennis club, which is its governing body. It pays an annual fee to the LTA to be a member club.
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The club has key positions apart from Trustees including Chairman/Secretary, Treasurer and Safeguarding / Welfare Officer and Membership Secretary. The club has a Parents Group which meets approximately every two months to assist the club management process.
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An AGM is held in March 2026 to consider and approve the accounts etc.
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Trustees are recruited through knowledge of the individual and their capabilities, and subsequent discussion with the individual to explain the role and responsibilities.
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The club has an open and inclusive policy on its membership with juniors a priority. Membership fees are kept at an affordable level to encourage take up.
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The club continues to work closely with Oswestry Town Council to manage the site and promote its activities
Activities and Objectives during the year to 30[th ] September 2025
Our club’s mission statement has continued in line with its original aims set in 2004:-
“The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation in particular by the provision of facilities for playing tennis for young people.”
It is pleasing to report that our tennis delivery has continued throughout the year, but our internal competition has again been limited. Many thanks go to Tennis2You and Blake Strefford and his team for providing the coaching on offer and competition support. Rusty rackets has continued as a great add on for our more mature members.
In May 2025, we registered for the first time with Pickleball England to enable the mini red courts to be used for this game with 7/20 Club utilising it in the summer.
In 2024//25 we achieved a healthy 135 membership, the majority being juniors. Providing a healthy and enjoyable activity within the town centre for predominantly young people has helped them to learn about a new skill as well as socialising and improving their wellbeing on and off court. Adult tennis provision continues to grow with evening coaching and rusty rackets, and pleased that we have recently added on Walking tennis delivery for U3A for less mobile adults.
Clubhouse Project
The provision of a clubhouse on site for its membership has been a key aim for the club since 2017, when the Town Council / Cae Glas Park Charity approved OTT to put together a feasibility study on converting a disused workshop adjacent to the tennis courts to a clubhouse. Gaining planning permission to renovate the workshop to convert to our clubhouse in April 2022 was a huge step forward, and I was very grateful to Gavin Porritt our design consultant, our trustees and our Parent Group for their support through this period. Since then it became apparent that a renovation could not be achieved within our financial resources so a cheaper solution of demolition and replacement with a modular building was pursued, We applied to Shropshire Council for this change of direction and in August 2024, we were given planning permission to demolish the workshop and replace with a modular building. (please note the modular building scheme has now been dropped in favour of a steel framed building whilst a best estimate for the project including management fees is now £120,000 which we can afford).
Grant aid applications were submitted for the Clubhouse project during the year to a number of external organisations and we were delighted to receive £29,000 from the following :-
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Oswestry Town Council - £5000
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Sport England - £12,500
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Oswestry Sports Forum - £500
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Oswestry Lions - £10,000
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Nisa – Stans Supermarket - £500
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Charlotte Hartey Foundation - £500
Financial Review of 2024/25
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The charity made a surplus of £2254 in its revenue account – (£2608 in 2023/24), from its normal day to day running of the club, before transferring from our General Reserve Fund £2000 to the Clubhouse Fund and £1000 to our Court Fund. Membership fees reached £3464 compared to £4115 in 2023/2024. We would remind everyone that this is our core income as everything else is currently going into our Clubhouse Fund. It is therefore pleasing to see this Fund increase from £60202 to £94877 after professional fees paid to date of £9,611. so thank you to members and grant aiders for all your support in helping to achieve this significant increase.
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There were no debts outstanding to the club at the year end.
Need for new Volunteers –
If you only have an hour to spare to help our club, we will appreciate your support.
Our message is the same as last year. There is increasing concern from our Trustees with the state of our “engine room”. Without anyone in the engine room, it is not possible to have a club. Our Officers and Parent Group are “ageing” and it will reduce in numbers as their children eventually leave the club. We know people lead very busy lives but without parents willing to give time to the club however small, the club will very sadly die, as it cannot continue without tennis parents willing to fill club key administrative positions. Support and training as necessary is always given to new recruits to ease them in to taking a position. Quite simply, new blood is needed otherwise our beloved club so important to you and our children will sadly not be able to function properly.
Please get in touch!
Chairman Clive Knight - Trustees - Clive Knight, Helen Shiel, Hugh Roberts, Ruth Sperring, Claire Anderson.
27.02.2026
Revenue Accounts for Oswestry Team Tennis
| Final Income Membership Subscriptions Other Income Adult Fees Sponsorship Pickleball awards evening Income Expenditure Tfr to Clubhouse Fund Other Income Interest on savings account tfr income to clubhouse fund Total Income Indirect Expenditure Printing and Stationery Miscellaneous Expenses Coach and player Scholarships Rent of facility sub total Total Income less indirect expenditure Direct Expenditure Coaching Tournament costs Charged to fundraising Affiliation fees Equipment/facility maintenance Income for Year General fund brought forward Less transfer to Clubhouse Fund Less transfer to Resurfacing Fund General fund balance Surplus for the year as per Revenue Account General Fund carried forward Court Resurfacing Fund Note 1 Clubhouse Fund Note 2 Bonfire Fund Creditors Prepayments Membership fees |
Accounts 30.09.2024 4115 102 0 0 1975 -1222 -753 639 -639 4217 281 0 1000 1281 2936 280 48 328 2608 Balance Sheet 30.09.2025 30/09/2024 5195 -2000 -1000 2195 2608 4803 6180 60202 1765 |
Final accounts 30.09.2025 3464 166 0 285 1838 -975 -863 1227 -1227 3915 180 97 0 1000 1277 2638 384 384 2254 30/09/2025 4803 -2000 -1000 1803 2254 4057 4450 94627 2590 2552 |
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Total
72950
108276
| Represented by:- Debtors TSB Bank account Barclays Bank account TSB Savings account Total Note 1 - Court resurfacing Fund Tfr from General Fund Less nets etc Bal c/f 30.9.2025 |
141 7,018 4205 61,586 72950 5180 1000 6180 |
88 5,844 5032 97313 |
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| 108276 | ||
| 6180 1000 -2730 |
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| 4450 |
| Note 2 Clubhouse Fund Bal C/f 1.10.2024 Tfr from General reserve Grants Interest Rusty Rackets Walking tennis Fundraising Professional fees Bal 30.9.2025 Professional Fees paid to date 2024/25 3212 2023/24 2065 2022/23 295 2021/22 1680 2020/21 1759 2019/20 600 9611 |
51915 2000 0 639 1809 0 5904 -2065 60202 |
60202 2000 29000 1227 1827 125 3459 -3212 |
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| 94627 | ||
I certify that these accounts reflect the underlying records of the club
Treasurer:Helen Shiel Dated: 9th November 2025 Auditors Certificate see separate pdf document Rebecca Smith -ACIMA
Financial Audit Report – Oswestry Tennis Club (charity number 1112609)
I confirm that I have completed a financial audit of the tennis club’s accounts for the period 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
The audit included reconciliation testing from bank statements to the financial records, as well as a review of a sample of supporting documentation for expenditure, including expense receipts.
Based on the procedures performed, I did not identify any discrepancies or inconsistencies. The financial records reviewed appear to be complete and accurately reflect the underlying transactions.
My working papers are available for review by the tennis club treasurer upon request.
Conclusion:
No issues or irregularities were noted during the course of this audit.
Signed:
Rebecca Smith ACIMA