Totnes Community
Tennis Club
Annual report and
financial statement
for the year ended
31 December 2020
Passionate in providing tennis
for the wider community
www.totnestennisclub.co.uk
Registered Charity Number. 1169109
## **WELCOME**
## **from Francis Porter, Chair**
## **It’s with great plesure that I welcome you to the Totnes Community Tennis Club’s annual report for 2020**
As I sat down to sum up this past year I really was at a loss as to what to say about this depressing, challenging year.
I re-read last year’s report and this time last year we were looking forward to a glorious spring and summer of tennis on our new courts and celebrating our 50th anniversary – and then of course the whole world changed!
It’s very easy and understandable to sink into despair and gloom as we are still deeply immersed in this grim pandemic; however, I have found throughout this long year that three things have kept me positive and ’sane’ – my family, my friends and tennis.
I started playing tennis at a small London park with my mum when I was about 6 – gritty, shale courts that always got into my knees when I fell over desperately trying to hit the ball. From that time onwards I fell in love with the game – but never imagined it would come to have such importance as in this past year! Tennis has provided me with wonderful exercise and essential social interaction – two benefits I’m sure you can all relate to.
Despite three lockdowns where we have had to close the club we have actually been incredibly fortunate both in playing a naturally socially distanced sport and being here in the south west. So many community sport facilities have been closed but whenever possible we have opened the club and it has been an incredible hive of activity. Our club has been a shining beacon in an otherwise subdued Borough Park.
The courts have never been so busy with bookings starting at 8.00 going through to 21.00 on all four courts. We have had members, juniors and their parents, Tonia’s coaching sessions and many pay & play bookings from local people desperate for some form of exercise.
I want to offer a very big thank you to everyone who has played at the club this past year and enabled our wonderful club to remain open and run safely – the atmosphere has been as friendly as ever and you could really sense the joy and relief from everyone at just being able to play tennis and laugh! Without your cooperation and good nature the club would have been a very different place.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
2
With the club being so popular it has of course meant that the hard working committee has been kept incredibly busy – the club really would not function without their incredible dedication. The club is now so complex that it has to be run like a business and that takes a lot of effort on top of their busy lives.
Jackie, (Membership Secretary) dealt with a constant stream of enquiries and the annual renewals (she can also be found at the wheel of the tractor on court sweeping duty!); Sara (Treasurer) keeps a wonderfully professional grip on our finances; John (Social secretary) has sadly only had two social events to organise but he is also a brilliant handyman and has been kept busy with numerous essential tasks around the club; Paul (Maintenance Officer) has almost taken up permanent residence at the club he has been so dedicated to maintaining the courts, cutting the grass, mending the fences; finally Graham (Club Secretary) who is vying with Paul for the coveted club residency is also Paul’s everpresent assistant and throughout the year can be seen at the club dealing with any issues and also running the Jackpot Club so well for us.
_Many thanks to them all – it really is an honour and a pleasure to be working with them._
One of the outstanding sights at the club this past year has been seeing the number of children playing at the club under the expert guidance of LTA coach Tonia Gooderham. At a time when children’s organised exercise has been devastated, Tonia has consistently provided fun, high quality coaching for a range of ages and I’m sure many local families are incredibly grateful for all her efforts.
We are very grateful to Jon Parkinson at South Hams District Council for his advice and ongoing support during the year as we develop the club.
And so, what will the next year bring…. I dare not make any predictions but one thing that I am sure of is that with everyone’s help the amazing Totnes Community Tennis Club, once open again, will continue to be a vibrant, happy club embracing anyone who wants to play tennis.
**Francis Porter** Club Chair
## **Trustees**
Francis Porter Sara Widdicombe Graham Hayman John Callaway Jackie Clayton Keith Reay (resigned 9 March 2020) Paul Thomas Peter Daly (resigned 17 June 2020)
The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020.
None of us could have predicted what would happen in 2020. Covid-19 presented many challenges to everyone and restricted when and how tennis could be played. In spite of this, the club can report another successful year. Please read on for the full report....
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
3
## Membership
## **Adults**
The club’s membership year normally runs from May to April. With lockdown and uncertainty as to when play could recommence, the start date was delayed to June, with a 10 month membership period to March. Membership was set at £100, with a monthly rolling programme of renewals. The fee was adjusted down by £10 each month, so members could join when they felt comfortable to return to play. There was no separate winter 2020 membership.
The availability of tennis when most indoor sporting activities were closed, super weather and the fantastic reaction to the new court surface, meant that the interest in the club was greater than ever. The club welcomed many new members and the result was a record 134 members.
The membership figures for 2020/2021 tennis year are as follows:
|||**2020**|||**2019**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Female|Male|Total|Female|Male|Total|% change|
|Adults|46|88|134|29|60|89|50.6|
|Winter|2|4|6|3|8|11|(45.5)|
|Students|2|5|7|1|2|3|133.0|
## **Juniors**
The majority of junior members have come to the club via Tonia Gooderham’s coaching programme. Their membership year officially ended in September, but was extended free of charge until April 2021, in order to bring the period of membership in line with the adults.
The membership offer for juniors is currently being reviewed, due to be finalised ready for an April to March membership.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
4
## Teams, Club Tennis and Tournaments
## **Totnes Teams Overview**
Representative teams traditionally compete in the South Devon Tennis League. Sadly, competitive doubles for our men’s, ladies and mixed teams fell victim to the Covid regulations with the 2020 Summer and Winter League disbanded before a single ball was hit in anger.
With the easing of Government restrictions in mid-summer the Devon County LTA piloted a countywide Over 55s friendly, doubles competition. Club member, Heather Nicholson took responsibility for fielding an enthusiastic squad with a fine blend of experience and even more experience! It was a good opportunity to travel to new venues and to host visiting teams on our new courts.
Many thanks to Heather for organising this.
Informal, friendly fixtures were also arranged by club members against old adversaries at nearby clubs in order to enjoy some competitive tennis.
## **Club Sessions**
In spite of the challenges imposed by Covid restrictions our Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday club sessions continued to thrive when they were able to go ahead. The greater number of adult club members increased the popularity and enhanced the quality of club play.
Court hours have been extended and timings modified to provide maximum opportunity for as many players as possible to enjoy club tennis.
This increased popularity presented an organisational challenge as we remain limited by our four court capacity and Covid protocols. Unfortunately, but understandably while our membership is full we cannot currently invite visitors to these sessions.
_We are indebted to the contribution from Pete Daly, Barry Barber and Jackie Clayton to ensure that these club sessions retain their special atmosphere and members enjoy great, competitive tennis._
## **Tournaments**
The internal club tournaments traditionally organised through the season were also cancelled as a result of the virus. Unfortunately this included the wooden racket tournament planned to run alongside the clubs 50th anniversary celebrations.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
5
## Coachin Re ort – Tonia Gooderham g p
The 2020 coaching programme has been full of positive energy and we have seen some great improvement in all the players.
I restructured the coaching programme during the year. All of my sessions are now either small groups or 1-to-1 lessons. I am very pleased with these changes as it means:
1. I am able to get to know each pupil individually
2. Coaching is player-centred. Pupils are given specific teaching points relating to the performance factors – technical, tactical, physical and mental
3. The groups have become small social units, so pupils are progressing together and working as a team
During 2020 I attended 2 LTA Youth courses. These courses introduced the new LTA junior coaching structure.
The juniors are now organised into 5 categories, by age. The categories and numbers of Juniors I am now coaching are shown below:
|**Category**|**Age (years)**|**Number of Juniors**|
|---|---|---|
|Blue|3-7||
|||30|
|Red|5-8||
|Orange|8-10|26|
|Green|9-11|29|
|Yellow|11+|22|
|Total||107|
In addition, I have a number of juniors taking individual lessons. I am very pleased to see a high number of girls playing, way above the national average. Going forward I intend to incorporate more games/ matchplay into the sessions and hope to restart regular matchplay for the juniors, including an annual tournament. I will also continue to encourage those, who are keen, to enter local competitions.
## **LTA Accreditation+**
I have achieved the required professional development points for LTA Accreditation+. This included the following qualifications :
- BTCA Mental health
- BTCA Mental First Aid Certificate
- LTA Youth (2x)
The adult coaching programme is going very well. I am offering both individual lessons and small group sessions. There are some 30-40 adults playing with me each week.
Overall, it has been a very enjoyable and positive year on court. I would like to say a big thank you to Rob Mitchell for his help on all aspects of the programme and to the committee for their continued support. I am looking forward to another great year.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
6
## Courts and Maintenance
## **Public Use Of Courts**
We are committed to keeping the courts open for public hire on a Pay & Play basis and feel it is important to encourage as many people as possible to play tennis. There was an unprecedented demand for public court hire during 2020 as tennis proved to be a popular and accessible form of exercise. Bookings are made via the club’s website using the ClubSpark booking system and access to the courts controlled with combination locks. In previous years, some court hire bookings came via the Pavillion Leisure Centre, but with their facilities closed, this wasn’t an option during 2020. Income from public and non-member court hire was £3,863 150% more than 2019 £1,542. The charge for the courts is £4 per hour per person.
## **Court Surface**
This was the first full year of playing on the new artificial turf court surface on courts 1-3 and using the LED lights, both of which were installed in Autumn 2019. By popular consent both have been very successful.
At the beginning of 2020 the committee decided to improve the surface of court 4, by applying a “powder coating” that extends the life of the court surface by 50%.
At the same time it was agreed with the coach, Tonia Gooderham, that the court would be equipped with additional markings for coaching purposes. As a result court 4 is now, by mutual agreement, the preferred court for coaching activities. This court is limited by the lack of lighting, but the committee is currently exploring a lighting solution for the court.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
7
## **Maintenance Report**
The maintenance team kept busy during the year, carrying out both routine and improvement tasks:
- the artificial turf court surface requires regular maintenance. The courts are dressed with sand and need to be swept twice a week. We have a small tractor for this purpose and thankfully a willing team of volunteer drivers.
- the on-going problem with leaf litter on court has improved with:
- the removal of some of the trees on the boundary between the park and the railway station. Thanks to SHDC for completing this work.
- the construction of a physical barrier to stop vegetation being blown onto the courts, (particularly court 3) has been successfully created. Phil Atkins generously gave his time to carry out this work and we are very grateful to him.
- although greatly reduced, the problem of leaf litter still remains, so we asked for volunteers to join the maintenance team and sweep the courts in the Autumn. Thank you to all of the members who helped – we hope this will be a regular event!
- the artificial turf backstop to courts 2 and 3 was extended to include court 1
The committee has commissioned a three year maintenance arrangement with First Serve Ltd, the company who installed the courts, to cover maintenance issues beyond the scope of the maintenance team such as, power-washing, moss treatment and technical advice on matters such as surface repairs and optimum surface performance.
Facilities in and around the clubhouse have also been enhanced during the year, with the installation of a hot water system in the clubhouse, security lighting outside the clubhouse and lights room and improved locks.
_A huge thanks to everyone who has helped with the numerous maintenance tasks during the year. Your help is massively appreciated and is reflected in the superb play and appearance of the courts._
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
8
Financial Review
## **The year ended 31 December 2020 resulted in a surplus of £26,363, (2019: deficit (£17,486), which is a very encouraging result in such a difficult year.**
It illustrates the importance of tennis as a means of physical exercise, social interaction and general wellbeing during such challenging times.
Total income for 2020 was £33,993 (2019: £62,534) and total expenditure £7,630 (2019: £80,020, when £75,313 was spent on resurfacing courts and upgrading lights)
The main sources of income were:
- Membership £12,828, a 20% increase on 2019 (£10,655), accounted for 38% of total income (2019: 17%). The adult membership fee was £100 for 10 months in 2020 (2019: £110 for 12 months).
- Grants & Sponsorship income £10,500 (2019: £42,500) accounted for 31% of total income. £10,000 of this was a Covid-19 Business Support Grant received from South Hams District Council. In addition we were delighted to continue to receive sponsorship income from Chartsedge
- Court hire/lighting income £7,737, (2019: £5,776). The 34% increase on 2019 illustrates the popularity of the use of the courts during the year. The public court hire, booked via the club’s website amounted to £3,863, an increase of 150% on 2019, £1,542.
- Fundraising income £2,658, (2019: £2,457) from our main fundraising activity, the Jackpot Club raised net £1,201 (2019: £1,107), after prize money and costs.
The main expenditure items relate to court and clubhouse maintenance, £2,606, and court 4 improvements £2,160. General expenditure is increasing as the club takes full responsibility for the courts from the council. This is the first year the club had to take out insurance, at a cost of £479, due to the change in court responsibilities.
The surplus of £26,363 for the year, results in **total club funds of £63,868** at 31 December 2020 (2019: £37,505). This is a healthy balance at the end of a year which has seen restrictions on play and challenges all round.
Commitments – at 31 December 2020, the club owed South Hams District Council £1,120 for ground rent . This rent had been withheld while the lease was negotiated and will be paid from general funds.
## **Reserves policy**
The committee have decided to hold a general fund at a level of 9-12 months operating expenditure, with the remaining funds held as a designated fund. The designated fund will be used for future refurbishment and improvements at the club. A sinking fund for the refurbishment of the courts and perimeter fencing currently stands at £10,000, with the development fund at £48,000.
The financial statements are shown on the last page of the report.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
9
## Fundraisin and S onsorshi g p p
## **Fundraising**
Now in its 5th year, the Jackpot Club continues to be the club’s primary means of fund raising. 50% of revenue generated is returned to jackpot members in monthly cash prizes. 50% contributes to the club sinking fund for facilities upkeep and development. The Jackpot club raises over £1,000 annually and awards over £1,000 in prizes. All members will be invited to join as the spring approaches.
Entry remains at £1 per week.
## **Sponsorship and Support**
We are delighted to continue our relationship with **Miles Kevin and Chartsedge** , the independent estate agent based in Totnes, marketing homes in Devon and Cornwall.
Likewise, we are grateful for the continuing support provided by **Mark Annear at The Cott Inn** , Dartington.
_We thank them both for their enthusiastic contribution to the club during these challenging times._
**----- Start of picture text -----**
The
Cott Inn
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Charity Fundraising**
During the year, we found an outlet for used tennis balls. The tennis balls were taken for recycling and we received £62, which was an unexpected bonus. Rather than retain these funds, the committee decided it would instead, donate the funds to a local charity of the committee’s choice. Our Chairman, Francis Porter, chose the charity this time and the donation was made to Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship, based at Dartington. We are pleased to be able to help this worthwhile charity in this small way.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
10
## Social Events
Last year saw the majority of the club’s social events decimated. The purpose of these has always been to create opportunities for club members and their families to get together and have fun. Sadly due to Covid restrictions we were unable to hold our usual Summer BBQ, Christmas Bash at the Cott Inn or continue our collaborative racketball sessions with Dartington Squash Club.
2020 was also the 50th anniversary of the club and we had hoped to celebrate this with a fun day at the club with a BBQ. Research had already been done on both the history of the club and tennis in the area. With help from the Totnes Image Bank some amazing photographs were unearthed from the past. Let’s hope that during 2021 we will be able to celebrate the club’s 51st anniversary and share some of this memorabilia. Plans are already in progress to make this celebration happen.
We still managed to hold our skittles evening at Meadowbrook on 5th March for members, families and friends. It was great fun and those who came were lucky enough to sample the amazing pizzas at the new Pizzaside restaurant.
The annual cricket bash at Harberton Cricket Club in August was the only other social event to go ahead and once again the weather was perfect and the setting idyllic. With a dazzling display of batting Harberton scored 135 from 20 overs. In reply the TCTC team put on a sterling display of batting and fielding but just fell short with 109 runs. Instead of the customary curry and a pint at the Church House Inn, players and supporters enjoyed a picnic and were treated to a spectacular sunset instead. Unfortunately we couldn’t go ahead with a planned return match with Harberton on the tennis courts, but hopefully it won’t be too long before this can go ahead.
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
11
Independent Examiner’s Report to the members of Totnes Community Tennis Club
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the club”) for the year ended 31st December 2020.
## **Responsibilites and basis of report**
As the charity’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the club’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent Examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Karen Williams ACA, ICEAW Dorsley Barton Harberton Totnes
17 February 2020
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
12
## Receipts and Payment Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020
Totnes Community Tennis Club ~ annual report year ended 31 December 2020
13