Replacing metal halide floodlights with LEDs

Aim

We want to replace metal halide floodlights on 10 tennis courts with LED's. These will be far more efficient and eco friendly.

Who are we?

The Leicestershire Tennis & Squash Club was founded in 1878 and is the 4th oldest tennis club in the UK.  We are a non profit Community Amateur Sports Club ('CASC') and are treated like a Charity for tax purposes. This means that if you are a UK taxpayer and claim 'gift aid' any donation is treated as being net of basic rate tax, which we can reclaim from HMRC, and makes your donation even more valuable. 

We are a friendly club and welcome players of all standards, including beginners and experienced players, and from all socio-economic groups and ethnic backgrounds. 

We have a thriving junior coaching offering for children aged 4-18. Adult coaching groups and individual lessons are also available from our team of LTA accredited coaches. 

Both coaching and general play run throughout the year and good quality floodlights are vital so that people can play in the evenings during the winter months as well as in spring and summer.

The club runs a licensed bar, has good quality changing rooms, and a club shop, Withers Sports, where you can purchase shoes, balls, rackets, and clothing, if needed.

We run an annual Fireworks Night display for our local community and encourage everyone to try tennis.

We also host the annual County Championships for both adults and juniors, and an International Tennis Federation Tournament for adults aged between 30 and 80!

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our metal halide lights have degraded and are near the end of their useful life. New LED lights will be brighter, last longer, and use less energy.

How we’ll spend the money raised

We are aiming to raise a total of £70k to finance the conversion of metal halide lights on 10 courts to LED's. This includes raising at least £7.5k from Crowdfunder to match a conditional offer of £7.5k from the Sport England Movement Fund. 

Community impact

We currently have c 400 adult tennis members and 120 juniors who benefit from the club having floodlights on 10 courts. We plan to market the new brighter LED lights to our local community to attract prospective new junior and adult members to try our courts, and to use the installation of the new lights as a catalyst to commence walking tennis, disability tennis, and pay & play options to those who may not have played tennis before.

How you can play your part

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

1. Please donate. Please donate NOW so that we can arrange for the installation of LED lights before the end of 2025. Any amount, large or small, would be much appreciated.

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and ask your friends 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 and / or providing a reward to be entered into our prize draw for every individual who donates £100 or more. All rewards must be for a value of £25 or less. We will give you a big shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – 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!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made