Case Study: Newport Pagnell Tennis Club..
Background
The Newport Pagnell Tennis Club (NPTC) was founded in the late 19th century and had its home in Lakes Lane until the 1970s, when it moved to its current location within the Willen Road Recreation Ground, alongside the Football and Cricket Club.
Brief
In recent years, the club had been experiencing issues with vandalism and break-ins, and the old fence was very flimsy, so they decided to apply for funding from The Harry Middleton Gift to make the club more secure.
The club’s initial goal in applying for the grant was to install new fencing and upgrade the floodlights to proper sports lights. They also wanted to extend the lights to the 4th tennis court to give them more scope in the winter and allow non-members to “Pay & Play” as and when they wanted. Additionally, they wished to install a new access gate, which could be entered via a security code, to allow Pay & Pay people to access the courts as well.
Applying for funding from The Harry Middleton Gift
At the time of application, there was no Harry Middleton website available, and it was by chance that the club found out about them. One of the members who was on the club’s committee found information about The Harry Middleton Gift on the Newport Pagnell Facebook Group and got in touch with them.The club’s goals for the grant
The club wanted to ensure that people of Newport Pagnell had an opportunity to play tennis and take advantage of the courts as they had the space to extend out to more people. One of the criteria was to give access to non-members to come and use the courts, paying online and gaining entry and exit without anyone having to be present. These would be known as “Pay & Play” guests.Obtaining funding from other sources
The total cost of the new fencing, floodlights and security gate was £70,000, and the club raised money from various organisations over the course of a year. They received £1,500 from The Harry Middleton Gift, £5,000 from the MK Community Foundation, £18,000 from the MK Hockey Foundation, and a £15,000 loan from the Bucks Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), with the rest of the money coming from the Club’s funds. The Bucks LTA also provided a grant of around £3,000 to pay for the new security gate.Overcoming obstacles during the project
The project started during the lockdown in the summer of 2020, and fundraising took a year. The work finally began in October 2021, and everything was completed by January 2022. The Club’s committee encountered a few obstacles during the project, such as obtaining planning permission, which took several months. Eventually, permission was granted, and work could begin.
The Result
The new fencing and floodlights have had a positive impact on the club’s members. They find it much more enjoyable to play under the new lights, and people are playing more tennis in the evenings now. With the new fencing and security gate, players feel more secure, and the Club looks much nicer, which has encouraged more members and non-members to play at the club. Over the course of the past year membership has increased by around 10% and there have been more than 330 bookings by Pay & Play guests, resulting in at least double that number of non-members playing. The project certainly achieved what it set out to do! In conclusion, The Harry Middleton Gift and other organisations helped to provide essential funding to the Newport Pagnell Tennis Club, allowing them to make significant improvements to their facilities. The new fencing, upgraded floodlights, and access gate have made the club more secure and attractive to both members and Pay & Play guests, allowing more players to enjoy the sport of tennis in Newport Pagnell.Interested in becoming a member of the Newport Pagnell Tennis Club?
The Club has kept its membership costs low to encourage more people to play tennis. An adult membership costs £120/year, with discounts for those aged 60 and over, and for two people from the same family. Children’s membership costs just £35 per child, aged 4 to 11, and they get a 50% discount if their parents are members. There are various events held at the club throughout the week, such as Beginners Night on Tuesday nights, Social Play on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, Veterans play on Friday mornings and there is Junior Club Night on Friday evenings (the latter also open to non-members).
Pictured is Jenny Spencer, Chair, and Head Coach, Gavin Fowell.
