ELLISWICK LTC NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2026
Dear Members,
Welcome to our January Newsletter. We have some exciting news to share with you. We are delighted to announce that Jim McGown was unanimously re-elected as the Club’s President at the Board/Committee meeting held on Monday 12th January 2026.
SAFEGUARDING
We are also pleased to inform you that the committee has appointed David Kendall as the Deputy Welfare Officer to cover for when our Welfare Officer, Andree Haxton is unavailable.
Emily Gardiner remains as the Young Person’s Welfare Ambassador for Elliswick. Her role is to gather feedback and become a voice for young people and provide an important link between club committees and young people at our club.
ELLISWICK ADULTS CLOSED CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026
The date for the finals will be Saturday 20th June 2026 with back up day being Sunday 21st June 2026 (PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A FATHERS’ DAY).
Please see details below:
| Competition sign-up date | 1st February 2026 |
| Closing date for entry | 3rd March 2026 |
| Draw Published | 8th March 2026 |
| Matches Start | 9th March 2026 |
| Semi Finals matches to conclude by | 18th June 2026 |
| Finals Day | 20th June back up 21st June 2026 (FATHERS’ DAY) |
To enter the tournament, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/zuJWFtQmKTbwNNHE6
All finalists must ensure that they can play on both dates. If you have any queries regarding the Tournament please email [email protected].
MEMBERSHIPS
Membership Renewals
Payments for Membership renewal will be taken on Friday 6th February 2026 by direct debit via GoCardless. For those who want to cancel their membership there is a cancellation option in the Clubspark email notification. Any member who wants to cancel after the direct debit payment has been made will need to contact the Membership Secretary and a £20 administrative fee will be charged in order to make a late cancellation and receive a refund.
Parents/guardians will also have Junior memberships renewed by direct debit unless they choose the cancellation option in the renewal email.
If you have any queries regarding Memberships, please email: [email protected]
GROUNDS
Following the delays to the courts resurfacing work of courts 4-7, Chiltern has fixed the fence on court 1 as a gesture of goodwill.
TEAM TENNIS
All winter matches are currently underway. We are now looking forward to the summer leagues matches (Datchworth, Hot Rackets, Herts League and Herts National League).
If you played last year in a team then you will be included this year. If you have not played team tennis and would like to play in a team, please do not hesitate to register your interest by contacting our Team Captains.
SOCIALS
Our Super Social Secretary, Jane Bisseker has been very busy planning exciting events in the next few months and be sure to mark some of these key dates in your diary.
Events in February 2026
6th February – Gold to Rio Duran Duran Spandau tribute band at EMC, please sign up here:
https://forms.gle/BQdfjhtqUSJCH44LA
Events in March 2026
Saturday 7th – We have Ross and Vicky (The Out of the Blue duo) returning to Elliswick to play our favourite party hits from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s LIVE. Reserve your space for this great evening of fun and dancing. Entry is £10.00 each if purchased in advance. Tickets can be ordered on this link:
https://forms.gle/UBxjP7f5TTRbtgyeA
Wednesday 11th – Tim Sutton show at Stratford. FULL
Wednesday 18th – Curtains HMTC production at EMC. Tickets can be ordered on this link
https://forms.gle/7bQxp6tDgnvVodvUA
Tuesday 31st – Mens Night begins
Events in April 2026
Wednesday 1st – The first of the Ladies nights this Summer. Liz Esby has kindly offered to run Ladies night every week. To try and encourage attendance, a message will be sent to all ladies via WhatsApp every Friday that are interested in playing the following Wednesday from 6.00 onwards. Please message Liz on 07448233049, if you would like to be included in the weekly WhatsApp message throughout the summer for Wednesdays Ladies Night. All you have to do is reply to Liz by Tuesday that you would like to be included and turn up for some organised doubles and match practice. Of course, you will still be welcome to just turn up to play on the night but by having an idea of numbers there should always be someone to play against.
Thursday 2nd – Club Night Mix in begins
Monday 6th – Bank Holiday Tournament, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/qokxdr2dkP4UeyVJA
Thursday 16th – Supper Night begins, we need someone to cook for this supper night
Friday 17th – Junior Night begins
Sunday 26th – Family walk led by Chris Rice followed by cake/tea or drinks from the bar in the clubhouse. Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/huatn12zEF9g8Nwt9
Supper Nights – Every Thursday evenings, once a month, starting on Thursday 16th April to 10th September.
We are looking for members who are interested in cooking for our famous supper night on 16th April and 10th September 2026. The dates can be altered to suit but obviously need to be on a Thursday evening after club mix-in night. Please let us know if you’d be able to help out.
All members and their family are welcome to join us for a delicious supper cooked by our fabulous members.
BANK HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT 2026
This is a fun and friendly tournament, organised for Intermediate 16+ up to senior players and is a great way to meet and play with new people and have some fun followed by a delicious lunch!
Dates for the Bank Holiday Tournaments held in 2026 are as follows:
Monday 6th April – Easter Monday
Monday 4th May – Reserved date in case 6 April cancelled due to weather
Monday 25th May – Spring Bank Holiday Tournament
Monday 31st August – Summer Bank Holiday Tournament
Please find attached the updated 2026 ELTC Social Events.
Any queries regarding any of our social events, please contact our Social Secretary, Jane Bisseker, at [email protected]
JUNIORS
2026 JUNIOR TOURNAMENT – SUNDAY 28TH JUNE 2026 with reserve date of SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2026.
We need some volunteers to help with organising and planning this tournament. The tournament will not go ahead if we don’t have volunteers to run it. This year for the U12 upwards, we are going to use the same format as the adults tournament. They can plan their own matches up to the semi-finals. On 28th June, only the semi-finalists and the finalists for those age groups and the U8’s and U10’s where there will be a short match/15 points and a round robin will be played on the day.
Please let Andree Haxton know asap by email at [email protected] if you are able to help to organise the tournament. We will also need volunteers to help out in the kitchen and on courts on the day.
HERTFORDSHIRE YOUTH & NATIONAL LEAGUE – SUMMER 2026
The Youth League is primarily a singles-based team competition for all abilities and ages, providing regular league matches against similar standard players in a competitive team environment. Team competition is a great way for players to play tennis in a fun and sociable environment. If you have any juniors who would like to play in the team tennis, please let Andree Haxton know at [email protected]. Obviously, we will need someone to captain each teams.
Competition Age Groups for this league are the 2026 age groups so should help in managing team selections.
8U, 9U & 10U – four player teams mixed
11U – 18U Boys Division 1 four player teams (sets to 6)
11U – 18U Boys Division 2 & all Girls divisions two player teams (sets to 6)
THE FRIDAY JUNIOR NIGHTS WILL RECOMMENCE ON FRIDAY 17TH APRIL 2026
These popular evenings are organised and run by our wonderful coaches and are aimed at mixing players of all abilities and ages. This is an informal session encompassing a range of fun games and activities for our junior members and free social play. Sessions are as follows:
4:30pm to 6pm for Primary School age (must have a parent present for supervision)
6pm to 8pm for Secondary School age (an adult volunteer needed each week to supervise).
The very popular tuck shop, with hotdogs, pizza, sweets etc will be run by Lucy Howarth who is raising fund for an international trip to Kenya in 2027 through Katherine Warrington school. In Kenya, she will be doing community projects and helping with animal welfare. Spending 4 weeks living with the communities and focusing on helping provide clean water sources for the families that live there and trekking in the jungle and seeing some amazing views.
And of course, the bar will also be open for parents, which adds to the relaxed atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.
We are looking for volunteers for the Rota with the 6-8pm shift. The Junior Nights will not go ahead if we don’t have enough volunteers to supervise our Juniors. Please email Andree Haxton by email at [email protected] if you are able to help.
HERTS TENNIS VOLUNTEER & JOB ROLE OPPORTUNITY
Chair of Management Committee
If you are interested in this exciting role, the outline for the position is attached. Any interested party should in the first instance make contact as detailed in the attached for further information and how to apply, noting the deadline for applications is 3rd February 2026. Please click on the link on overview of the position:
County Safeguarding Officer
Herts LTA are currently looking to appoint a new County Safeguarding Officer. This is a part time role of 1 day a week and there is a salary of up to £6,000 pa. The closing date for applications is the 2nd February 2026. For more information, including a full role description and how to apply, please contact [email protected].
Please click on the link on overview of the position CSO Advert January 2026.pdf
Kind Regards
Elliswick LTC Committee
PS, Don’t forget to keep up to date with events at our website http://www.elliswickltc.co.uk and follow our Facebook page as well.