Newton le Willows Tennis Club - Let there be Light

Who are we?

Newton-le-Willows Tennis Club has been popular since its commencement in 1882. This is our 140th Anniversary Year. 

We are the last surviving tennis club in the East of the St Helens Council Borough area and are part of a wider ‘not for profit’ Community Amateur Sports Club, providing sporting facilities for the local community.

We welcome everyone, whatever their ability or age. We currently have men's, women's, mixed and over 45's teams, as well as building up excellent links with local schools which has introduced hundreds of primary school children to tennis. We recently introduced weekly walking tennis sessions, free of charge, to anyone in the local community aged 50 years and over. This is in addition to the ongoing free, 10 hour a week court access we provide to anyone in the community that is prepared to give tennis a go. 

In order for us to continue to support our local community and our club, we are asking for your help to fundraise for a much needed final set of floodlights.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We are asking for your help to raise £15,000 to help pay for a final set of L.E.D. floodlights to complete our aim so we are a fully functioning all year round, day and evening tennis club. 

The Problem - No lighting on Court 4

We enter numerous teams into local league competitions from juniors through to senior age categories. We also organise regular weekly social tennis events. Courts 1 to 3, which are fully floodlit, are booked most evenings throughout the year. 

Due to lack of floodlights on Court 4, during the dark winter evenings, our playing time capacity is reduced significantly. This often leads to many events/players unfortunately winding down for autumn/winter until the new season starts again in April. 

Court 4, (see image below) far right of picture is in total darkness and unplayable during autumn and winter evenings. 

Our Solution - Additional LED floodlighting

We can satisfy the increased demand we now have by installing modern, energy-efficient LED floodlights on Court 4.  This will allow all-year availability of the tennis courts, creating far more playing opportunities for everyone.    

In 2021, we acquired planning permission to install these much needed additional floodlights and have since then embarked on the task of seeking the funding needed for the installation. Once we have secured funding, lights can be installed and ready to shine within 6 weeks.

Effects of Covid

The effects of Covid-19, and the rising cost of living, are having a big impact on community clubs' financial resilience and we’re no exception! Our ability to raise much needed income was restricted and this was exacerbated by storm damage in 2021 which caused damage to the court surface. Repair costs alone are £5000! 

Currently, we are running at 75% of capacity.  An extra set of floodlights would allow us to meet existing demand for all year-round tennis and help fulfil our playing capacity to 100% and, in turn, enable us to increase our revenue. 

Community impact

We are a friendly, warm and community focussed club. We are run solely by hard-working volunteers who give time, energy and knowledge to ensure the club is run smoothly. We are passionate about the community and of course tennis! Our aim is to continue to grow as a club and make it accessible for as many members of the community as we can. 

Since the introduction of our new coach Aran in April 2022, over 100 children have accessed the club's coaching programmes and summer camps. Ranging from working with local schools as a feed into our club, to strengthening our local community groups, such as Wargrave Big Local, to aid in the health and wellbeing of our local community by offering walking, express, social and cardio tennis to increase general fitness and combat issues such as isolation and loneliness.

Everyone in the community is welcome to take part even without becoming a member. Our aim is also to encourage more of the community to play tennis through our online booking scheme - ClubSpark. Since we installed ClubSpark and joined The LTA Rally Scheme in 2020, we have widened the Club's access significantly, with the general public booking pay and play sessions and accessing our 10 hour per week free play. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

All the money raised will be put towards purchasing and installing the floodlights, and if any surplus is left, it will go towards creating a safe, sociable area where visitors and players can view the courts and relax in comfort. 

The floodlights will be L.E.D. energy efficient and will enable us to help keep overall energy costs down to a manageable level. 

How can you play your part?

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes, and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!