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Photo By Lottie Miles (https://www.lottiemiles.co.uk)
More than 450 people came to see the brand new indoor courts and to try tennis on 13th January, a real family event.
The trustees of the charity are working hard to raise the remaining funds and complete all the indoor facilities by the end of 2018.
Watch this space and our Facebook page for progress on the three squash courts, large gym, table tennis, badminton, studio, changing rooms, bar and leisure area.
Anyone can book an indoor court from £12 an hour, or an outdoor court for £6 an hour.
The Surface is complete and the lines are on! Just nets and curtains to go! Click here to check out the pictures!
Closing Date: 30 Dec 2017
To be responsible and accountable for ensuring that the Centre is fully operational and functional on a day to day basis and delivering a user experience of the highest quality.
A key task initially for the post holder will be developing operational and financial procedures for the Centre in conjunction with the appropriate Trustee sub groups.
1. Finance: to be responsible for the day to day financial operation of the Centre ; to oversee major income and expenditure : to submit quarterly financial reports to the Trustee Board.
2. Gym and Fitness Operation : to be responsible for the overall gym and fitness operation in conjunction with the Gym Manager and the gym support staff. The General Manager will work with the Gym personnel to develop and sustain the gym and fitness membership targets and to support the Community Use agreement with a focus upon the delivery of a GP referral scheme.
3. Bar and Catering Operation: to be responsible for the overall bar and catering operation in conjunction with the Bar and Catering Supervisor and the bar support staff. In particular the General Manager will be responsible for developing a series of members social events within the Centre and proactively seek external bookings to maximise income .
4. Marketing and Programming : To develop a broad and interesting programme of events , focussing upon off peak and daytime usage , working with the Head Coach and coaching team and the Gym and Fitness Manager to maximise usage of the centre and its outdoor courts. To be responsible for the marketing and promotions within the Centre.
6. Personnel Management: to manage the day to day operation and rotas for both paid and voluntary personnel to ensure the required level of staffing for the centre operation; to ensure all staff are skilled and competent in their roles and to manage the training needs for all personnel.
7. Membership : to assist the Trustee Board , Head Coach , Gym Manager and Club officials with issues relating to the club membership , including recruitment , induction of new members , maintaining accurate membership databases and developing and ensuring good communication practices with the members across a range of mediums .
8. Duty of Care and Welfare: to ensure that participants, visitors , staff and volunteers can enjoy playing and working within the Centre in a safe environment and one that complies with all legal requirements. To comply with all statutory and club policy requirements in respect of inspections and checks on the premises . To ensure the promotion and appropriate level of safeguarding and welfare practices for children, staff and participants .
9. Cleaning and Maintenance: To manage an effective and high quality cleaning and maintenance operation through the utilisation of contractors, support staff and volunteers
The Atlantic Racquet Centre (ARC) at Caddesdown , Bideford is a new racquet facility in North Devon. It is a registered Charity , with a dedicated board of volunteer trustees. The Club has over 500 members with a well developed coaching programme both within the club and in its educational outreach schemes . The Club has Its roots firmly based in the area , having for 65 years utilised outdoor courts in Westward Ho!
The Centre currently provides 6 floodlit outdoor tennis courts. The next phase due to be completed in the early part of 2018 is the development of the indoor centre which will provide a range of racquet facilities for tennis, squash, badminton and table tennis. Bar, catering and meeting rooms are designed within the complex as are well equipped gym and fitness studios providing additional opportunities to develop the membership and programme.
The ARC Trustee Board are currently working with the LTA on an application to deliver the Transforming Tennis Together programme and create ARC as a Community Hub in the Torridge area. Alongside that community project, ARC are working with Torridge Health services to create a Social prescribing scheme that can be delivered by the Centre.
The successful candidate will be expected to have a leisure management background with practical and senior experience in site management . The knowledge and ability to implement operational and legislative procedures and practices to ensure the safe and smooth operation of the centre is a key requirement. The applicant will have strong inter-personnel skills and a track record in delivering a high quality customer service.
An essential skill for the General Manager will be the ability to generate new business development opportunities alongside the social activity programme that will be required to ensure a high bar and catering turnover .
A positive characteristic of the successful applicant will be the knowledge and experience to balance the user requirements of the members , the casual user , the competitive tournament scene , the social events and fitness programmes and to understand and support the needs of each sector .
The manager will possess the ability to work well and proactively within a team and to understand the nature of the Trustees roles in ensuring that ARC fulfils its financial, legislative and community responsibilities.
Preferred
A degree /higher diploma in leisure, hospitality, sports and business management
Essential Skills & Experience
A minimum of 3 years experience in a similar senior supervisory or management role
Excellent communication skills, written and verbal with strong leadership and people management skills
Good organisation and time management skills.
Ability to meet designated deadlines and manage multiple tasks
An ability to review the current operation and identify practical areas for improvement.
Capable of analysing and reviewing financial management information
Competent in IT skills with a good knowledge of database systems & Microsoft Office.
Knowledge of club membership schemes an advantage
Appreciation of food hygiene and health and safety in the work place.
If you have been inspired – then please request further details of the post and the person specification prior to sending us your full CV and covering letter of application.
These details available from Mary Harris on leisurelincs@ gmail.com .
If you would like an informal discussion about the Centre or the post , it is recommended that you contact the Chair of Trustees , Martin Morris on martmorris@btinternet.com .
Please send your application to leisurelincs@gmail.com and martmorris@btinternet.com .
Your application will be circulated to all the ARC Trustees for their consideration . A full list of the Trustees can be found @ www. Atlanticracquetcentre.co.uk .
The closing date is December 30th 2017 and all applications will be acknowledged prior to the setting of an interview date at the end of January 2018.
The contractors have finished the resurfacing work and the courts are available again from Saturday 28th October!
They will remain temporarily black with white lines until they are repainted in Spring 2018 with the original colour scheme.
The full coaching programme will resume at ARC after the half term break on Monday 30th October, and club nights for members of the tennis and sports club will continue as before on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Want to use the courts without purchasing one of our membership packages? No problem. Pay and Play – book your court for just £5.00 per hour. Book here!
Tennis For Kids 2017 goes off with a bang at ARC!
Read MoreUPDATE FROM TOM VINALL (HEAD COACH) - 03/10/2017
All after-school and weekend coaching sessions will take place at Bideford College for the next 2 weeks.
We’ve recently received the hugely exciting news that our indoor tennis courts will be laid commencing on the 7th October, however the court surfacing company are also resurfacing our outdoor courts at the same time due to a fault in the tarmac which is covered by our warranty. This means that our lovely purple courts will be out of action for at least 3 weeks.
All coaching sessions scheduled between 7th October and 21st October will take place at Bideford College. Sessions will still be led by our great coaches and all equipment will be provided as usual.
When arriving at Bideford College, please park in the main car park and enter the tennis courts via the large gate to the right of the courts. Do not enter via the main school reception. Toilets and changing facilities are available for us to use.
All sessions will take place at their usual time excluding those listed below:
Saturday sessions 9.30 – 10.30am (RED 1, RED 2, CARDIO, U12 DEVELOPMENT 1) – Unfortunately due to a long standing booking at Bideford College the courts are unavailable at this time.
Saturday RED 1, RED 2, CARDIO, U12 DEVELOPMENT 1 will take place at the earlier time of 8.30am – 9.30am for the next 3 Saturdays. Apologies for any inconvenience caused by this unavoidable change.
We apologise for this information being sent out at such short notice. As if often the case with building works there were complications meaning that we did not get the final dates for re-surfacing until this week.
Please note that Tuesday morning Cardio Tennis will not run until the courts are re-opened.
Tom Vinall
Head Coach & Sports Development Officer
Many of you will now be aware that the outside courts at the centre have been scheduled to be re-laid under warranty during October. We have now received confirmation from the specialist contractor, Chiltern Sports, of their planned programme.
Work will commence on Saturday 7th October. All courts will be unavailable at the commencement of these works. We anticipate the courts will remain unavailable for three weeks. Courts 5 and 6 should become available week commencing 30th October, in the following two weeks the remaining courts will be completed.
This schedule is entirely weather dependent, adverse conditions will delay the programme. We will notify you, through the website and Clubspark, as and when the courts become available.
On completion of the resurfacing works the courts will be left black with temporary lines painted on them. They will be fully painted in Spring 2018 with the current colour scheme.
The contractors will also commence work on laying the indoor tennis courts in October. We anticipate these will become available in January 2018 and plan to offer table tennis and badminton next year as well as tennis. We will keep you informed of progress through the Autumn.
Separate arrangements are being made to ensure the planned coaching programme can continue by using courts at Bideford College and Westward Ho! Tom Vinall is leading on this and will update those affected.
We apologise for any inconvenience the closures may cause.
Martin Morris – Chair ARC Trustees
The trustees are pleased to welcome Tom Poole to the growing team as Apprentice Club Coach. Tom started on 11thSeptember and will be working 30 hours a week initially assisting with a variety of sessions across the full programme under the leadership of Tom Vinall, Head Coach and Sports Development Officer.
Tom is from Barnstaple and has represented Division 1 side Braunton A in the summer league for several years. He has worked part-time as an assistant coach at Tarka Tennis Centre whilst completing college and joins us as a Level 1 Assistant coach. Over the next year he will complete both his Level 2 and Level 3 coach qualifications.
Many will have met Tom before either at our annual tournament or out on court in the summer league. His hours are mainly in the afternoon and evening so you may well meet him soon; please introduce yourself and offer him a warm welcome to the ARC family.
The trustees are pleased to announce the appointment of Lottie Koval to the full time position of Community Club starting in late July.
She is already a very popular member of the part time coaching team for mini reds and following the successful interview process she will work closely with Head Coach Tom Vinall to continue to grow and develop our exciting programme.
Lottie will lead on specific projects such as targeted schools outreach and competitions.
Having played tennis at the club since her junior days, she is now an A team player. This year Lottie won the Devon LTA Young Volunteer of the Year award and went on to win the South West region Young Volunteer of the Year, as a result she will represent the region at the national awards yet to be held.
On Friday 9th June, 60 children from Year 6 at St Margaret's visited ARC. Following on from Tennis Tom's outreach work in school, they chose to come to the tennis centre for an afternoon as one of their Leavers trips. They had a great afternoon with a fiercely competitive doubles competition and fun coaching games. Every child joined in and had great fun and amongst the winners were two children with disabilities who had never won anything in sport before. Inclusion at it's best, thanks to ARC.
Over the winter of 2016/2017 our Ready to Rally Reward Cards kept our loyal players turning out in all weathers! Now that the sun is shining, most of us have collected our 15 stamps and got our t-shirts - and boy aren't they looking so cool!
Free sessions from Tots tennis to Rusty racquets, we've got something for everyone whatever age or ability.
With music, a tasty BBQ and guaranteed sunshine - it's bound to be a fantastic day.
Special 50% off offers for all those who attend!
Grab a racquet, grab a friend and have some fun at Atlantic Racquet Centre for free!
Just book your place here Club Spark Open Days
These nationwide awards help to recognise and honour those people and places that make your experience of our sport that much better.
A huge well done to members of Atlantic Racquet Centre who achieved widespread recognition in the following categories at The Devon county Awards 2016 presented on 25th January 2017:
Junior Coach of the Year
Winner - Tom Vinall (Atlantic Racquets Centre)
Education Award
Winner - Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust (ACCT) – trustee of Atlantic Racquet Centre
Young Volunteer of the Year
Joint Winner - Charlotte Koval (Atlantic Racquets Centre)
Volunteer of the Year nominations
Winner - David Vinall (Atlantic Racquets Centre & Devon LTA Council)
Nominees - Sarah Powell (Atlantic Racquets Centre), Sally Rana, Lottie Koval, Matt Johns, M. Vinall & D. Vinall (Atlantic Racquet Centre Davis Cup Trophy Tour Committee)
10 & Under Player of the Year
Nominee - Julian Hayter (Atlantic Racquets Centre)
Senior Player of the Year
Nominee - Sue Doncaster (Atlantic Racquets Centre)
Outstanding Achievement Award
Winner - Jon Triggs (Atlantic Racquets Centre)
Struggling to know what to get them? Why not treat one of your loved ones to one of our fantastic Christmas gift ideas!
The trustees of Atlantic Racquet Centre are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Patrick Wilson as Community Club Coach. He has joined the team on a part time basis and will work closely alongside Head Coach, Tom Vinall.
Having coached in a variety of environments including a busy coaching programme in Plympton and several seasons abroad for Neilson Holidays, he will assist in further expanding the successful tennis programme Tom has established in local schools and at the facilities here.
He will take the lead on the launch of our disability tennis programme at ARC. Having received special training from the LTA, Pat's first few weeks will be spent meeting with local disability centres and groups in order to tailor our programme to suit their specific needs. He will then focus on securing grant funding to deliver a targeted disability outreach programme in the new year with a view to creating a sustainable weekly disability tennis programme here at ARC, aimed at all disabilities and special needs.
Pat is currently coaching a variety of the sessions on our weekly programme and will oversee the organisation and running of the annual grade 4, 5 & 6 competitions at the centre and encourage our many junior players to enter local tournaments.
If you wish to get in touch with him regarding individual lessons or any of his upcoming projects at the club please find his details here...
3/100 retailers on board. No cost, no catch. Sign up now!
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/atlanticracquetcentre/
£12 raised in 10 minutes through Easyfundraising!
Through the USwitch Comparison site, you could join SP in saving £100 p.a. upon switching your gas & electric. Raise £6 for each utility item switched while you save yourself money.
Head to the Easyfundraising site before you shop and you'll raise a free donation for Atlantic Racquet Centre. It's that simple!
Please ask your friends and family to sign up too. The more money we raise the quicker the superb indoor and leisure facilities will be completed for the benefit of the Torridge community.
Significant progress has been made this year toward achieving the final vision for ARC. The construction of the building envelope began late spring and will be complete early in 2017. We will then be able to start internal works to develop the sports facilities. However, this work cannot commence until funding is in place to enable us to engage with the various specialist suppliers. We estimate our current funding gap to be in the region £400,000, with a total project cost of £2.75 million. Our emphasis now is to raise these funds through the following four strands:
1. Buy a brick – Build a legacy. This is accessible through our website www.atlanticracquetcentre.co.uk The minimum donation is £100 per brick and in return supporters will have their names on our ‘buy a brick build a legacy’ wall in the new centre. It’s easy to do, simply fill out a form and enclose your donation indicating whether a gift aid claim can be made. Each gift aid donation allows us to recover an additional 25%. This is open to anyone who wishes to donate and I’m pleased to say that half the funds raised so far are from non-members.
2. Corporate sponsorship – we are currently working on opportunities to engage with local businesses in effort to gain their support in return for pre-determined packages.
3. Partnership with local authorities – we are developing our relationships with all local authorities to maximise the opportunities that are available to us. Following the publicity of the Davis Cup Trophy Tour the profile of the centre has been raised significantly with members of local authorities showing their support.
4. Grant applications to National Sports Governing Bodies and identified funders.
Clearly there remains a huge amount of work to do, the bulk of this falls to the trustees, who have worked tirelessly this year to get us where we are, I do thank them for all their efforts. We often talk about the need to increase our capabilities through the introduction of people to support the trustees. While we have had a good range of skills we are lacking in marketing abilities and clearly would benefit from any assistance with our fund-raising activities. With the number of new members joining there may well be support and skills available that we are unaware of. If anyone is interested in assisting us, please speak with me or one of the other trustees.
Apart from the obvious need to raise funds next year will see the trustees working closely with the directors of ARC Tennis and Sports Club as we begin to look forward to additional sports coming to ARC. There are details we will need to formalise such as memberships, subscriptions and community access. We will continually look to see how this centre can benefit the local communities through the promotion of sports and active lives as we look to achieve our vision which has been described in our new business plan as:
Atlantic Racquet Centre has an exciting vision: to provide a community orientated multi sports complex for recreational, sporting and leisure use with over 1000 users per week by 2020.
Use of our current facilities over the past year continues to increase. Tom’s work with the coaching programme continues to be a great success. During the summer 196 people per week were receiving coaching; even now there are 176 people a week being coached. Coaching takes places either on the
ARC courts or at schools through the excellent outreach programme. Tom has been so successful we have now employed a second coach, Patrick Wilson, to provide a consistent level of support to the programme. Patrick’s employment means that we will now be able to progress, among other things, disability tennis, this has been one of our aims for some time and will be good to progress.
2016 has seen ARC make remarkable progress which we are determined to continue into the foreseeable future – however, I imagine the question on most people’s minds is “That’s fine, but when will all this be finished?”. It is very difficult to give a definitive answer, however, the trustees objective, subject to funding, is to have the tennis hall up and running by late summer 2017 to enable the delivery of indoor tennis, badminton and table tennis by autumn 2017. While acknowledging, there is a lot of work yet to be done it does feel like we are in ‘touching distance’ to achieving what has been the dream of many people for a long time.
Having thanked the trustees for all their work and support I have, once again, to thank Andy Lobato, who is not a trustee, but continues to work on this project devoting a huge amount of his time and providing support and guidance to the trustees. Finally, I must also thank Ginette Berry, who is not a member of ARC. Ginette provides administrative support to the trustees, attending all our meeting and taking the minutes, it is no small task but one Ginette has always cheerfully undertaken.
Martin Morris - Trustee
Congratulations to our very own Julian Hayter who recently became the 10&Under Devon County Champion! Its a huge achievement and we are all very proud of him at the club. Julian attends Appledore Primary School and is part of our U14 Performance programme here at ARC. He has played at the club since he was 4. On top of this achievement he managed to win our U14 Road to Wimbledon event earlier this year, beating some of our best U14 players in the process. What an exciting young player. Well done Julian.
