NEWSLETTER - The Best of Grafton (Week of 23 Jan 2023)

Greetings Graftonites,

Some may have already half-heard about the new tennis leagues, or that the tennis Summer Champs are live, and think that is the "best of Grafton"- but no. It's our community spirit, so do read on:

Community Fund Update
Tennis Summer Champs
Six Nations Super Socials
New Leagues (please see attached pdf!)
Court Booking Rules (Updated!)
Dates for your Diary
Keep in Touch

***If you want to put an announcement in next Monday’s broadcast, the only way to do so is by sending your broadcast to graftoncomms@gmail.com by Friday 6pm.***

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COMMUNITY FUND UPDATE

DonsLAG Donations

At the end of 2022 as part of the Grafton community agenda our members nominated the charity of the year to be DonsLAG. All raffle and certain events' proceeds will go to this charity and we are pleased to announce we made our first donation this month of over £700 from the Christmas raffle.

DonsLAG serves those in need throughout the boroughs of Wandsworth, Kingston and Merton. The many volunteers serve the community in numerous ways: principally by collecting food donations at local supermarkets and then sorting these to provide help with local food for those in need.

Some achievements in the past year include:

* Help to over 900 families with food deliveries weekly

* Provision of regular bulk deliveries to 35 partner organisations and charities

* Support to Ukraine charities by collection, sorting and distribution of essential supplies

* Donation of £15k of Easter Eggs to special needs schools and hospitals

*Christmas distribution of seasonal gifts and treats

*Nearly £1m worth of food, furniture and laptops to those who need help

Thank you for your ongoing support of this worthy and currently (sadly) vital cause. For further details, or if you have a few hours to spare to volunteer, visit the DLAG website (www.donslocalaction.org) or chat to Andy Webster who regularly volunteers.

The Gary Walker Junior Bursary

Gary was our Tennis head coach who sadly passed away a few years ago. The club are very proud to be able to continue his legacy of improving access to tennis for children that would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in the sport Gary loved so much.

The proceeds from all quizzes and the Fox Trophy entry will go to a bursary set up in Gary’s name, sponsoring 3 children to have junior coaching for 12 months.

We are pleased to announce that we have teamed up with the local Alderbrook sShool and 3 children started their lessons last week and loved it!

Thank you for all your support in these programmes, and helping Grafton to play a positive role in our local community.

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TENNIS SUMMER CHAMPS (please see attached Ts & Cs)

Grafton Champs 2023 are now LIVE in tournaments on MyCourts.
Entry deadline is Friday, 17 February.
Finals day is Saturday, 1 July.
Singles, various doubles, veterans (50+ men, 45+ women) and juniors (17 and under on 17 Feb).
Enter only if you can attend on 1 July!

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6 NATIONS SUPER SOCIALS

We're excited to announce the 2023 Six Nations SOCIAL TENNIS schedule for Friendly and Fun-Filled mini competitions run by our tournament maestro James Cornish followed by LIVE 6 NATION MATCHES ON THE BIG SCREEN …..an action packed afternoon !

Dates:

Sat 4th Feb: 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm England vs Scotland

Sat 25th Feb: 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm Wales vs England

Sat 11th March: 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm England vs France

!!!ALL STANDARDS / ALL MEMBERS WELCOME!!!

Register for £3 (balls will be provided) for Super Socials via the Tournaments section in MyCourts:

https://grafton.mycourts.co.uk/tournaments.asp

No registration is needed to watch big screen matches …and yes the 2pm fixtures will also be shown.


Sporting Event Screening Policy
All sporting event screenings are organised at the discretion of the Social Secretary and Social Committee. Unless advised or directed otherwise by our governing bodies (LTA / Squash England) these will be provided without prejudice of location or politics. The club’s long-standing diversity and inclusivity policy at all times remain central to all club-based activities. If any member has concerns regarding any club based issue they are encouraged to contact the committee directly: committee@graftontennisandsquash.com.

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COURT BOOKING RULES - TENNIS AND SQUASH (Updated!)

In the spirit of Grafton, we ask everyone to be mindful of our booking rules which are designed to help everyone have a fair chance of playing, and to be able to play safely.

CANCELLING YOUR MATCH = CANCELLING YOUR COURT

As soon as you decide to cancel your match or realise you will not be able to play - please cancel your court. This is particularly important for non-daylight hours tennis bookings, when floodlights activate automatically.

If you have to cancel a court, please try to do so as early as possible. If it has to be a last-minute cancellation, then please put a message on The Grafton Chronicle or Squash WhatsApp chat, so someone else can make the most of that court.

OPPONENTS AND GUESTS

All bookings, including last minute bookings, need to comply with the below rules:

Please state ALL your opponents on your bookings. If practising on your own please select “Serving Practice" or “Solo Practice" as your "opponent". Note these bookings are only permitted during off-peak hours.

Similarly squash guests are only permitted during off-peak hours.

Bookings with no opponents selected within 72hrs in advance of play will be cancelled.

HOURS OF PLAY

Please bear in mind the below hours:

WEEKDAYS:

08:00-16:00 Off Peak Tennis
16:00-22:00 Peak Tennis
08:00-17:30 Off Peak Squash
17:30-21:15 Peak Squash

WEEKENDS:

08:00-16:00 Peak Tennis
16:00-22:00 Off Peak Tennis
08:30-14:30 Peak Squash
14:30-23:00 Off Peak Squash

PEAK AND OFF- PEAK TENNIS ACTIVITIES

The below is particularly pertinent to off-peak tennis members, so please note:

SOCIAL TENNIS
Wednesday : Only Peak Tennis members may attend
Sunday: Peak and Off Peak Tennis members may attend

TENNIS TEAM PRACTICES
Monday / Tuesday / Friday / Weekends : Only Peak Tennis members may attend
Leagues and Tournaments: Only Peak Tennis members may participate.

If you believe your tennis booking warrants an exception, or is an unusual booking, then please contact graftoncomms@gmail.com in plenty of time to further discuss. Questions? Please email graftoncomms@gmail.com well in advance of your court booking to avoid disappointment.

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  • Sat 4 Feb @ 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm England vs Scotland
  • Sat 25 Feb @ 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm Wales vs England
  • Sat 11 March @ 2pm Super Social / 4:45pm England vs France
  • Sat 25 Mar - Winter Mixed Finals Bonanza
  • Sat 01 July - Tennis Summer Champs Finals Day
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Whatsapp Links

Grafton Chronicle: All things Grafton and often much much more

https://chat.whatsapp.com/EEaIfaRfxqe80qNB9CRC3I

Grafton Squash: Dedicated Squash Comms

https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ig4yL6uaY7K599tgwSTv3j

Questions and Suggestions:

Contact the committee: committee@graftontennisandsquash.com

Committee Members: https://www.graftontennisandsquash.com/home/about-us/

23/01/2023

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