For the first time we have run 2 GBTWs this summer: May 13th and July 21st.
We were blessed with good weather for both and had good attendance. The focus for the first date was on adults and juniors/younger players while the second one was primarily aimed at recruiting adults although fun tennis activities for children were also available.
In July, we were very fortunate in having timed the day on the weekend of the Scarecrow Trail in Attenborough, so had loads of people walking by who came in and participated in tennis and the refreshments provided. We had advertised the event on various social media websites but it was the Scarecrow Trail which brought in the numbers and we will try to replicate this next year.
It's hard to know exactly how many new members we have recruited but we have definitely had some! Mostly they are juniors which is great, but we are really in need of adult, especially women, players. We have definitely raised the profile of the club with several people mentioning that, although they have lived in the area for some time, they did not know that we were here. The atmosphere was very positive amongst members and visitors, and people appreciated the free refreshments, especially in the hot weather. It was particularly useful for our new coach who worked extremely hard and whose approach with the children will, I am sure, lead to a substantial increase in numbers for his regular coaching, the new LTA 6 week course and his summer camps. People were very impressed by the 6 week taster course offer and have asked for more details for the next course which we intend running in the autumn.