As is the case with all enterprises, costs have been rising sharply and the Rye Lawn Tennis Club has found it increasingly difficult to cover these increases.
We are endeavouring to create new sources of revenue: securing sponsors, hiring out the clubhouse, putting on corporate days and creating fund raising initiatives.
Our first major initiative is the Rye Lawn Tennis Club Legacy Fund. Further details and explanation about how to leave a legacy are provided below.
If you have further questions about the legacy fund, or would like to suggest, or even better volunteer to run a fundraising initiative for the Club, please contact Eleanor Cochrane.
Eleanor.cochrane@ryelawntennisclub.org.uk
Leaving a legacy is one of the most powerful ways you can support the Club with the added benefit of costing you nothing during your lifetime. The aim of the Fund is to raise money that will preserve the unique qualities of this fabulous Club for future generations to come.
It’s extremely simple and easy to do. If you have already made a will, we can provide you with what’s called a codicil - which is a simple way to make an amendment to your existing will so you don’t have to go to the time and expense of re-writing your will. If you haven’t yet made a will, simply add a clause when you do stating that you would like to leave a specified sum of money to the Rye Lawn Tennis Club.
The fund will be split into two parts. Half the annual donations will go towards the running costs of the club. The other half of donations will be invested for the benefit of the club and the income from those investments will go towards means tested help for local children who wish to learn to play tennis and towards the continued maintenance of our fantastic grass courts. Your legacy could help find our next Tim Henman!
Should you have specific wishes as to the areas that you would like to fund these will of course be honoured. Just let Eleanor Cochrane know, and either way we would be most grateful if you were able to let her know if you are planning to support the Legacy Fund.
Founded in 1922, on the site of a brewery, they Rye Lawn Tennis Club is one of the a few clubs in the country, with grass courts, that is still going strong after 100 years.
Created by a small group of bankers, lawyers and erstwhile soldiers, the annual tournament took place the same year as the Club was founded. Other than the war years and the pandemic of 2020, it has taken place every year since.
Every year we invite over 1,000 people to our annual tennis tournament and receive over 250 entries. The quality of our grass courts, and immaculate tournament organisation by Jonathan Jempson and assisted by former Wimbledon CEO Chris Gorringe, means we attract high level players from London and all over the world, including, every four years, the Harvard and Yale students who go onto play for the Prentice Cup and Seabright Cups held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in August.
This relationship with Havard and Yale dates back to when the tournament was run by Bimby Holt. Tony Billington, Barry Weatherill, Chris Gorringe and Robert Dolman were, and some are still, on the committee of the Prentice Cup.
The Prentice Cup is an international intercollegiate tennis competition between the universities of Harvard and Yale versus Oxford and Cambridge. The first match was played in 1921. Since then, matches have been held every two years, alternating between the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, and Seabright, USA. For much of the tournament’s history, only men participated. This changed in 2004 when competition between women was introduced for The Seabright Cup.
Looking for a venue as a warm up for the match in the UK, Rye was chosen as that venue. The tradition has continued, so every four years, a mixed gender team, half from Harvard and half from Yale come as part of their UK tour to play tennis at the Annual Rye Tennis Tournament before they play their matches at the AELTC against Oxford and Cambridge.
The Club has eight grass tennis courts. Maintained in the same way as the courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with assistance from their head groundsman, we are very fortunate to have grass courts that are as good as any outside SW19.
On the upside this means that we can attract a large number of very high standard players to our annual tournament, as well as enabling all our members to play on excellent grass courts throughout the summer. On the downside, the cost is considerable. In 2023, the renovation bill was over £25,000. Three years previously the cost was £8,000 for the same amount of work.
As well as the grass courts, there are three artificial clay courts, two padel courts and two squash courts.
There are 660 members of the club spread across all categories of membership: tennis, padel, squash and social.
Over the summer we hold numerous events and tournaments, most of which are open to non-members as well as members.
We are increasingly focused on encouraging the next generation.
Our first Open Day, hosted by Tim Henman and AELTC Coach Dan Bloxham in 2022 was a tremendous success. A total of 250 children attended the event, which was covered by ITV and the BBC, and we attract over 200 children who live locally to play at our annual junior tournament.
We are continuing to run the Open Day each year hoping to attract as many local children as possible.
As a Community Amateur Sports Club, the Club is run by our members and welcomes players of all standards and ages. As a participant in the Schools Link Initiative, we provide access to our Club, without membership, to as many local children as we can.
One of our key goals, going forward, is to create greater access to the club for the local community, many of whom will not be in a position to pay our membership fees. By becoming a partner and supporting our club, you will be helping us to achieve this goal.