A day out driving a combine harvester over the Marlborough Downs – one of the dreams of many a young person (or not-so-young in many cases!). This could be yours, but first you have to bid for and win this fantastic day out in the auction being held at the club’s Black Tie Ball at the Town Hall on Friday 27 April.
Marlborough Tennis’ new courts will be opening to the public by the end of June, but still they are raising money to fund the wide range of programmes that will take tennis out into the Marlborough community and this Black Tie Ball combined with a Silent Auction (which is now open for bids) are two major ways to raise the funds needed to take tennis out into Marlborough.
In the Silent Auction winners can experience a villa in Barbados for a week – taking the whole family (sleeps 6-8), clay shooting in Shrivenham, a holiday home for a week in Cornwall’s idyllic St Mawes…. and many more enticing lots on which to bid.
This will close at the Black Tie Ball, but to see what else is on offer in the Silent Auction and maybe to bring Barbados just that bit closer to home visit their site: www.jumblebee.co.uk/marlboroughtennis.
Marlborough Tennis will be opening tennis up to everyone in the Marlborough area. Not just the membership which is keenly priced at £175 for everyone in the family for a year (and just £30 for a junior – click here to find out more), but the new courts will offer pay-and-play to non members. They will be all weather, open until 9:30pm in the evening (with four of the six courts floodlit for night use) so that tennis can be available to all in Marlborough across the whole year.
They will be promoting the game to young and old alike, and also to those who might have played tennis long ago but whose old (wooden?) racket may be gathering woodworm and dust in the attic.
Marlborough Tennis will be running a whole range of initiatives – many LTA supported – to encourage new or lapsed players onto the courts. There will be outreach initiatives to schools across the area with coaches on hand to enable the young players to become possible stars of tomorrow, a ‘Rusty Rackets programmes for those who gave the game up years ago but are tempted back and special Healthy and Sociable events for families to play together.
Marlborough Tennis want the six new courts to be in use as often and by as many in the Marlborough community as possible. Daytime, evenings, weekends and through all twelve months of the year.
“We’ve secured an amazing amount of grant funding from major bodies, such as the LTA [Lawn Tennis Association], Sport England, Community First, Marlborough Area Board and many local business and people” said Hilda Moore, chair of Marlborough Tennis. ”They have made these new courts a reality, now we want raise just that bit more to make these courts easier to use by as many people as possible, many who are either new to the game or many who stopped playing long ago.” ”Young and old, all abilities”, she added “Just everybody.”