Elliswick LTC Newsletter – November 2025

Dear Members,

Welcome to our November Newsletter.

AGM – 6TH DECEMBER 2025 AT 10:30AM 

Members will have received notice of this year’s AGM to be held in the clubhouse at 10:30 on Saturday, 6th December. Please be there. If you can’t make it, please send your proxy, preferably in favour of the Chair of the meeting, by email to [email protected]. It is very important to the club to get as many proxies as possible before the AGM so as to achieve a quorum.  If you have any other business that you wish to raise at the meeting, please can you send it by email to [email protected] by 1st December 2025.

 COURTS RESURFACING

Court 4 is out of action for the time being. Courts 5-7 are playable (asphalt surface) until further notice. All of the carpet are rolled up and are stored on court 4 until the weather improves and the project can be finished.

CHARITY CHRISTMAS LUNCH – TUESDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2025 AT 12PM

For the first time, we are opening the invitation to our male members as well. This is a bring-and-share lunch, and we ask guests to make a charity donation of £7. The meal includes a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine. Following suggestions from members, donations this year will support the highly regarded Rennie Grove Day Hospice in St Albans, which also serves Harpenden. Your contributions will help sustain and enhance the vital services they provide to the community.

If you want to join us for lunch, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/vTcicSGhwNwGg38BA

 

MEMBERSHIPS – NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM

We plan to introduce a new membership payment process in 2026.  Membership renewal will be made by direct debit via GoCardless, which most members already have set up. Direct debit payments will be taken on Friday 6th February 2026 and an email notification will be sent a month earlier (7th January 2026), giving 30 days’ notice of the direct debit. A reminder will also be sent 2 weeks prior to the payment date. For those who want to cancel their membership there will be a cancellation option in the 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.

We are proposing that membership fees be held at the same price again this year.  The automated direct debit payment will simplify the membership renewal process and will be less of an administrative burden for the Membership Secretary. It will also give an earlier indication of the number of membership places made available due to cancellation so that new members can be offered a place well before the start of the membership year on the 1st March.

 

Please check your contact details on Clubspark and make sure your Elliswick record is up to date. We use many of the details to be able to offer you opportunities (eg we use DOB to determine one’s eligibility to play for certain teams) and to be able to contact someone in case of emergency. Details on how to check your record is as per this link https://sportlabs.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000358286-GDPR-Editing-Your-Profile-And-Details

 

 

TEAM TENNIS

All the autumn/winter matches for the Winter Mixed and Men’s and Ladies vets are underway. Many thanks to all the captains for organising your teams and best of luck to all our players who are taking part. If you are not currently playing in a team but wish to do so, please contact our respective team captains as follows:

Ladies Captains – Kate Curson at [email protected]

Mens Captain – Jem Collier Garrity at [email protected]

Mixed Team Captain – Amy Martin at [email protected]

SOCIALS

 

The Jazz Night with Lulu & the Hullabaloos was a fantastic success — thank you to Louisa and the team for creating such a lively atmosphere and getting everyone dancing. Our gin-tasting evening was also very popular; special thanks to Suzette Carlean for organising such a fun event. A number of our members also enjoyed a wonderful evening seeing Annabel Croft at the EMC.

COMING UP IN DECEMBER

Tuesday 2nd – Charity Christmas Lunch (bring a dish)

There’s still time to join us for our Charity Christmas Lunch, as above. Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/vTcicSGhwNwGg38BA

Saturday 6th – Annual General Meeting, 10:30am
Please make every effort to attend this important meeting and show your support for the club.

Sunday 7th – Charity Music & Magic Evening, 6:00–8:00pm
With performances by Tim Sutton and the Upbeat Choir
Tickets: £10, including mulled wine and mince pies.
Sign up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCBM6F7lM7hZGH4CQal2bVz5WLMwteirTAI-BE4yqqfQXmjQ/viewform

THEATRE TRIP – 11th March 2026

Sally Radcliffe is organising a theatre trip to RSC Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon to see The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, with music by our own Tim Sutton. Hopper bus service provided by Elliswick member Richard Cooke. Please see details below:

  • Wednesday 11th March
  • Leave Elliswick at 9.30 am
  • Arrive Stratford approx 11.30. Optional group lunch in theatre rooftop restaurant.
  • Show time 1.30 pm.
  • Back in Harpenden around 6.30 pm
  • COST: £55 includes theatre ticket and return minibus travel.

To book your place, email Sally Radcliffe at [email protected]. If you would like to join us at the theatre, but make your own travel arrangements, email Sally, and she will try to get some extra tickets.

https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind/
https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind/about-the-play

Please pop all these dates into your diaries — we’d love to see you there.

Our Social Secretary is currently putting together the 2026 calendar of events. If you have ideas or would like to organise an event, please get in touch with Jane Bisseker at [email protected].

CHRISTMAS EVE 6PM – 7PM – COMMUNITY CAROL SINGING – AT HARPENDEN COMMON, BESIDE THE HARPENDEN ARMS

Please join some of our members who will sing carols and Christmas songs together on Christmas Eve led by our talented musician Tim Sutton. The event supported by the Harpenden Trust, and there will be an opportunity to donate to the Harpenden Trust Christmas Appeal.

POPPY APPEAL

On behalf of the Royal British Legion, we’d like to thank everyone who donated to the Poppy Appeal.  The amount raised at Elliswick LTC was £20.45 cash, plus any donation made using the QR code.  The total amount raised in Harpenden was more than £27.500 – David Cowan.

LOST PROPERTY BOX

Please look through the lost property box (clothing, racquets, water bottles) in the clubhouse as the box will be emptied at the end of next week and we will donate the contents to the local charity.

PHYSIOTHERAPY

We now have a deal with AJ PHYSIO of Wheathampstead.  All members will now enjoy 10% off any treatment sessions, just mention Elliswick LTC. Please contact Adam Stanley on 01582 383580 or click on the following link for more information: https://www.ajphysio.co.uk/wheathampstead

Until the next newsletter, we wish you and your family a very Happy and Merry Christmas 2025.

 

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.