==> picture [143 x 143] intentionally omitted <==
Annual report and Accounts
for the year ended 31 December 2024
Passionate in providing tennis for everyone in the community
www.totnestennisclub.co.uk Registered Charity Number: 1169109
Ex-Chairman’s report from Francis Porter
For the past 12 years the club has been managed by an incredibly hard working dedicated committee and during this time the club has developed wonderful playing faciltities and the membership has increased whilst the club has still retained its friendly welcoming atmosphere. However, 2024 was the time when the committee all realised that they had taken the club as far as they could and it was time for fresh energy to take the reins and move the club onwards.
Whilst all standing down at the same time possibly felt quite drastic, it also felt that a totally new group would be able to manage the club freely without any of us ‘oldies’ getting in the way! Nevertheless, we were determined to give a long handover process to guide whoever took over as they settled into the roles needed to manage our club. However, it still felt a hugely daunting task to find members keen to run the club!
The future wellbeing of the club and its members was the only concern for all of us and to be honest I had serious doubts that anyone would be ‘stupid’ enough to take on our roles! But how wrong I was; as I write this in January 2025 it so gratifying to know that the club has found an amazing group of skilled passionate members who have indeed stepped up to look after the club. I really could not have imagined a better group to look after our very special club.
It is important to remember that our wonderful tennis club has been in the Borough Park for over 50 years, and tennis has been played in the Park for much longer than that! Each committee is taking on the responsibility for a short while to manage and guide this amazing facility to benefit the local community. The club has become a safe haven for exercise, well-being, friendships and laughter and I trust that it will continue to be so for many years to come.
I know that the new committee will work incredibly hard for however long they are in the role and I also know that all our members will support them in the same way that they have supported the past committee.
It has been a huge honour and privilege to have guided the club for a short while and I look forward to Martin and his team taking the club onto even greater heights!
New Chairman’s report from Martin Loader
Firstly, I’d like to extend my thanks to Francis for his report and kind words. And yes... we now have a group of enthusiastic club members who were “brave” enough to take on the committee roles!
On a more serious note, stepping into these roles, the new committee and I recognised the challenges of following in the footsteps of the previous hardworking and dedicated team. While the transition has been relatively smooth, thanks to the assistance of some former committee members, it has also highlighted just how much work goes on behind the scenes to keep the club running smoothly.
Since taking office, the committee has tackled a range of issues, from council planning discussions to membership numbers and rates, court usage, and lighting. The new committee has a different structure and dynamic from the previous one, bringing fresh ideas, a few changes, and diverse perspectives, all of which contribute to the shared goal of ensuring the ongoing success of Totnes Community Tennis Club.
Acknowledging individuals is always a challenge, as so many people contribute to the club’s success. However, I would particularly like to thank Francis for his continued support behind the scenes, Abi Hawman for her invaluable efforts in team coordination and social media (despite not being a committee member), and Sara Widdicombe for her dedication as treasurer. Sara has been instrumental in managing the club’s finances and will hopefully enjoy a smooth transition of her role to another member in 2025.
Regarding our financials, you will notice some one-off clubhouse costs in the accounts. These are part of the necessary steps towards securing planning permission for a future clubhouse improvement project. Further costs related to building control and planning consent will appear in next year’s accounts. More details on this will be shared at our upcoming AGM. Speaking of which, our AGM is scheduled for Monday, 10th March 2025, at 6 pm, with the venue to be confirmed. A formal invitation will be sent out closer to the date, and all members are warmly encouraged to attend. Your support, in any capacity, is always greatly appreciated.
Finally, I’d like to say that our club is more than just a place to play tennis—it’s a community, an extended family, and a space where everyone should feel welcome to enjoy the game at any level in a friendly, supportive, and safe environment. The committee and I are committed to making sure this remains the case, and we look forward to seeing you all on court!
Trustees
Graham Hayman (resigned 20 November 2024) Francis Porter (resigned 20 November 2024) John Callaway (resigned 20 November 2024) Geoff Powell (resigned 20 November 2024)
Sara Widdicombe (resigned 20 November 2024) Paul Thomas (resigned 20 November 2024) Jacqui Merrington (resigned 20 November 2024)
New Trustees – all appointed 20 November 2024
Martin Loader, Jack Clancy, Paul Clayton, Barry Barber, Hilary O’Leary, Sarah Edwards
The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Membership
The popularity of the club continued during 2024, with many new enquiries for membership. The adult club membership fee was held at £130 in 2024.
The membership figures for the 2024/2025 tennis year are as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | Male | Total | Female | Male | Total | |
| Adults | 67 | 108 | 175 | 77 | 107 | 184 |
| Students/Juniors | 14 |
10 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
South Devon League Teams
Representative teams traditionally compete in the South Devon Summer Tennis League.
There was a healthy interest from our adult members to represent the club in competitive tennis and the club fielded 6 teams across the various divisions. Mens A once again triumphed in the Mens Division 1!
A big ‘thank you’ to all team captains for their selfless management of the squads and to all players who represented the club during the season. Thanks also to Abi Hawman who has not only managed the Mixed A and Ladies B squads but has also coordinated the Winter League competition.
Annual Club Closed Tournament Results
MENS SINGLES Greg Robinson bt Rud Sawers
LADIES SINGLES Linda Gee bt Claire Farrar
MENS DOUBLES
Rud Sawers & Greg Robinson bt Andrew Medhurst & Paul Clayton
LADIES DOUBLES
Abi Hawman & Claire Farrar bt Sarah Edwards & Jacqui Merrington
MIXED DOUBLES
Linda Gee & Jack Clancy bt Sarah Edwards & Greg Robinson
Club Sessions
The ever-popular club sessions run throughout the year. They continue to be the beating heart of the club.
The 3 sessions organised weekly during the afternoon and evening and again at the weekend are planned to maximise the opportunity for all adult members to attend. Plus the Friday ‘happy hitters’ session is still proving popular. A self-managed session designed to bring together members of a similar level and experience in order to grow in confidence, develop skills learned in coaching sessions and enjoy some fun match play.
The inclusive atmosphere of all sessions warmly welcomes all adult members regardless of ability or experience. The convivial, but competitive tennis combines with a lovely social atmosphere off-court.
An enormous amount of goodwill from many club members allows these three, weekly sessions to function so efficiently.
Barry Barber braves the elements on a Wednesday evening. He and Martin Loader manage the Sunday mornings. A massive thank you to all the club session managers.Your support is much appreciated.
Finally, thanks also to Abi Hawman who continues to support the club in so many ways. Abi is always on hand to manage the tennis balls, regularly stand-in to organise pairings and closedown club sessions. Her support is invaluable.
Public Use Of Courts
As a condition of our lease and in keeping with the spirit of the club we remain 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. The health benefits of tennis are well known and it is gratifying to see the courts are being used by a wide range of people.
Income from public and non-member court hire was £4,879 in 2024.
Court bookings are made via the club’s website using the ClubSpark booking system and access to the courts is controlled with combination locks. We have installed a new combination gate lock system which has made court access easier and more secure for everyone.
Coaching report from Tonia Gooderham – LTA Level 4 Accredited Tennis Coach
2024 has been another vibrant and positive year for my coaching programme. I have run the programme on the Totnes Borough Park Courts for 35 years and during that time I’ve had the pleasure of helping successive generations of the local community to enjoy participating in tennis. During that time I’ve seen countless examples of the mental and physical benefits of playing tennis, the part it plays in people’s social lives and the transferrable life skills that can be acquired when learning the sport. Above all else I’ve seen players experience a lot of fun and enjoyment.
The past two years have been particularly exciting. I have always endeavoured to progress and improve the way I deliver sessions and I have a particular interest in the learning process. As a result of this continuous professional development I’m now using a coaching method that is proving effective in helping people to learn in a highly efficient, successful and fun manner. So although 35 years down the road the programme is feeling fresh and new across my junior, special needs and adult coaching sessions.
Juniors
We have a thriving programme with junior players from across the local community enjoying the game at all ages and stages. The sessions are played in a very positive environment and we’ve seen countless examples of juniors growing in confidence, being very supportive of each other and developing new skills.
Many students select tennis for either the ‘volunteering’ or ‘physical part’ of their Duke of Edinburgh (D of E) award scheme. Thank you to all of the volunteers – the younger juniors really enjoy having the older, more experienced players helping them on court and we’ve seen great benefits for all concerned.
We hope to introduce more competitive opportunities for our junior players during 2025.
Special Needs
2024 has been a wonderful year for our special needs sessions. The student’s improvement on a physical level has been remarkable. With patience and enthusiasm they stick at practices and make great progress. They bring smiles and laughter to the courts and I have particularly loved getting to know students individually. It feels like a group of good friends arriving at the courts.
I personally love leading the groups and would like to thank all of the volunteers who make the groups such a success. As always a huge thank you to John Callaway for communicating with the volunteers and the schools - long may these sessions continue.
Adults
Many adults are developing their game in coaching sessions ranging from individual lessons to larger groups. I run a number of smaller groups of players who share similar ability and aspirations. All of the sessions are played in a great atmosphere and I’m seeing significant progress in players across the programme. It’s been very rewarding to see these players enjoy their time on court - and to see many go on to test their skills in a range of club activities.
Thank you
We’re grateful to the new committee members at the club and look forward to working with them. A big thank you to Rob Mitchell for his tireless work supporting the coaching programme and helping to create a great coaching team. I’d also like to say a big thank you to Amy Carson who spends many hours a week volunteering and helping with the junior programme. Thank you to Paul Hailey, Head tennis for his support of the coaching programme and his expertise on equipment and stringing. Finally, a huge thank you to all of the players and parents who support the coaching programme and make it what it is. We look forward to another enjoyable year ahead!
Tonia Gooderham Tennis Coaching
Disability Programme – Tennis Coaching
Our wonderful disability tennis programme continues to be a huge success for Bidwell Brook, Lifeworks and all the volunteer helpers. The students at both SEN establishments need to learn the benefits of exercise, and we need to see them celebrating their successes, however small.
A huge thank you to our coach Tonia who guides the sessions so expertly and with great compassion and patience; and to our amazing team of volunteers without whom the programme simply would not be able to run. In discussions with other clubs and the LTA, a regular issue they all seemed to face was finding volunteers and they asked how our club could be so successful! Our ‘simple’ answer was that we have a wonderful compassionate open membership who just want to help the local community.
“Tennis has been an absolute inspiration for our students. Seeing how far they have all progressed both in the skills needed for tennis but also on a personnel level is amazing. The students love going to tennis on a Monday afternoon and learning new skills and putting these into practice with the fantastic volunteers that help and support. Without the support of the volunteers this wouldn’t be possible. The skills have helped them with their hand eye coordination, motor skills and learning about how much power they need (not hitting the ball as hard as they can and sending the ball into the nearby playing field or car park). The smiles and laughter you hear on a Monday afternoon is contagious and a pleasure to behold. Thank you Totnes Tennis Club for this amazing opportunity for our students and hopefully we can keep this connection going for many years to come.”
James Humphries: Tutor at Lifeworks College
Financial Review
The year ending 31 December 2024 resulted in a surplus of £26,260, (2023: £26,896) with total income of £47,597 (2023: £43,115) and total expenditure £21,337 (2023: £16,219).
The main sources of income:
- Membership subscriptions £23,352, (2023: £24,115), accounting for 49% of total income (2023: 56%)
Membership numbers were slightly down in 2024, with 175 adults and 24 Students/Juniors (2023: 185 adults and 29 Students/Juniors)
The adult membership fee was held at £130 for the year (2023: £130) Students £65 (2023: £35) and Juniors £15 (2023: £15)
-
Court hire and light income £13,568 (2023: £11,717) 29% of total income (2023: 27%)
-
Fundraising income, together with grants and sponsorship amounted to £6,739 (2023: £6,731) 14% of total income (2023: 16%)
The Jackpot club, the club’s main fundraising activity raised £1,398 net (2023: £1,554) after prize money and costs.
Sponsorship income of £1,750 was gratefully received from local businesses.
Details of the restricted funds income received during the year is shown below:
| Grant funder/Event | Purpose | Amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| South Hams District Council | Gardenproject | 250 |
| Action Funder Ltd | Gardenproject | 800 |
| The Bike Hub | Gardenproject | 150 |
| Club fundraisingevents | Gardenproject | 381 |
| Baker Estates | iPlay30 | 600 |
| Total | 2,181 |
Expenditure
-
The routine costs of maintaining the courts and clubhouse were the main items of regular operating expenditure totalling £4,107 (2023: £3,766). The courts were professionally cleaned/treated during the year.
-
The clubhouse development project expenditure of £5,894 was for drainage/percolation testing work to meet the conditions of the planning consent. Unfortunately the results were not favourable and further work and consideration is required.
-
Restricted fund expenditure for plants, tools and the continuing management of the Garden project was £1,581 and coaching and equipment for iPlay30 was £2,329.
The surplus of £26,260 for the year, results in total club funds of £166,193 at 31 December 2024 (2023: £139,933).
Reserves policy
The committee have agreed to hold a general fund at a level of 9-12 months operating expenditure, with the remaining funds held as designated funds. The designated funds will be used for future developments at the club. A sinking fund for the refurbishment of the courts and perimeter fencing currently stands at £50,000 (£10,000 is set aside each year) and the development fund at £105,000.
Restricted funds
The restricted funds held at 31 December 2024 are for iPlay30 and will be used to support this programme in 2025. iPlay30 are tennis activity sessions for children with learning, sensory and physical disabilities and for those experiencing ill-mental health.
The accounts are shown on the last page of the report.
Independent Examiner’s Report to the members of Totnes Community Tennis Club
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts, set out on page 16, of the above charity (“the club”) for the year ended 31st December 2024.
Responsibilities 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
26th February 2024