MINUTES OF THE 49th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Held on 27th November 2025

Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

 The chairman, Mike Smith, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the 49th AGM of The Northumberland Club.

Mike detailed the key agenda points and noted that the meeting would follow a similar structure to last year.

At the end of this meeting, David Breakey, Ryan Doran and Fiona Twaddle will have reached the end of their 3-year term as directly elected members of the Executive Committee. David Breakey is the only member standing for the position of Honorary Secretary and therefore has been elected. Ryan and Fiona are not standing for re-election. Three nominations for the two open Committee positions had been received and therefore there would be an election held for these positions.

Mike noted that the Club has boomed in the year. Within tennis there has been significant demand for sessions led by John and his team with a number of additional mini tennis sessions added. There is great talent within the junior programs. Additionally in the year, Simon Lancaster joined the club from Swansea tennis centre.

Pickleball is a relatively new sport in the club but has continued to see significant growth. There will be 2 teams competing in league competitions from January allowing for competitive matches in the program. The cub has hosted a number of tournaments with players travelling from all over the North East to participate.

Badminton has also seen great success in the past year with big increases in participation. New advanced and intermediate sessions have been added to the schedule led by new coach Rob Wetherell which have been very popular.

Squash has seen an more defined approach to the program with an increased performance focus for players that want it and additional structure to the junior program. The club has not had a large pipeline of junior players for some time, but this is starting to develop thanks to the coaching team of Dave, Jane and John. There is also a small but very active group of racketball players.

Mike noted that there had been great team success in all sports and noted particular thanks to all captains, volunteers and referees involved.

Mike noted that last year the club had 1,250 members and this had increased again to 1,452 active members. This was excellent growth, and this number of members allows the club to generate sufficient reserves to reinvest in our program and facilities. However, this does also come with some challenges around capacity, to respond to this the club may look at reducing the level of access to facilities for non-members.

The level of member retention for this time of year is high and this is evidence of the variety of activities available for members. The membership levels give the Club a unique ability to fund new capital expenditure ourselves, for example c. £90,000 has been invested in the new artificial red clay tennis courts and this has been paid for by the Club whilst maintaining a sinking fund. This also gives the Club improved resilience and the potential to benefit from future opportunities.

There have been some staff changes in the year with new chef Lisa joining the team, producing excellent cakes which are a bestseller.

The Club has ambitious plans for growth, for example options for new tennis courts where the existing grass courts are adjacent to the car park. In the year these have been brought into use for mini orange courts to bring back the familiarity of tennis in this location. Mike noted some of the key potential capital plans for the Club:

• Look at the possibility of new artificial courts near the car park. This would require working closely with the NLTA.
• Upgrading the changing rooms. This brings significant complexity due to where they are located. The aim is for a full refurb which would likely cost c. £100k or more which would ensure the provision of a private and dignified space including shower and changing cubicles. This work could be carried out at Easter or at the end of the summer holidays when the demand on the club facilities is lower.
• The club has identified an alternative site for padel courts in front of the indoor centre. The Club is continuing to work with the NLTA who need to approve any potential development. The Club have already performed pre-planning engagement with the Council and do not believe we will encounter the same planning issues as the previous site. Mike noted that the padel courts are made of glass and therefore not as imposing as the computer-generated images may appear. It was also noted that padel is a key part of the LTA strategy and the Club’s strategy to diversify.
• The balcony project is continuing led by Mark Haigh and Steve Duncan. A planning pre-application report was received from the Council last week which was green across the board. The next step is a formal planning application and tendering for a contractor. There have been some small changes to the plans previously shared with a slightly smaller footprint and only a single entrance point.

Mike noted that there have been a number of NLTA governance changes in the period and as a result of this the Club needs to make some changes to the Operating Agreement with the NLTA for example covering partnership on potential new tennis courts and updating processes around billing and invoicing for use of the Indoor centre.

The NLTA governance policy has changed driven by changes from the LTA including committee term limits of 9 years. This is Chris Lott’s last year, and other long serving officers have had to step back. Currently the NLTA Committee are relatively light on numbers and therefore there have been issues with holding quorate meetings. Mike noted that there is an opportunity for Club members to stand for a role on the NLTA Committee with the AGM being held in March. Mike noted that there has been a very consistent relationship between the Club and the NLTA and stability for a long time and that given the potential changes in the NLTA it was important to protect the interests of the Club.

Mike noted the new low-level lighting recently installed on tennis courts 1-3. He noted that this had been installed as they did not require planning permission which was needed for full floodlights, and which was a longer process. There is believed to be some wildlife present in the area based on an initial survey and full surveys may need to be held at specific points in the year further extending the process. The Club has invested c. £4k on the low-level lights which do not provide LTA performance standard lighting but do make the courts playable for members. Mike noted that some tweaks may be needed of the angles of the lights. Whilst the Club believe this is a good solution to increase outdoor tennis court capacity over winter the Club are still looking to pursue full floodlighting in the longer term.

Finally Mike thanked the coaching teams, management and staff who were responsible for delivering a successful year for the Club. Mike also thanked Ryan Doran and Fiona Twaddle who were not standing for re-election to the Committee, for their excellent work for the Club over a combined 19 years on the Committee. He thanked all members for attending and encouraged them to look through the Annual Report.

Finance Update

Rachael Oswald-Wilkins, Honorary Treasurer, provided a finance update. Rachael presented the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 noting the increase in revenue both from sports and from memberships. Rachael also drew attention to the level of cash on the balance sheet and that this was in a strong position and as at the end of October the level of cash was c. £300k although this is expected to reduce over the winter months.

Rachael noted the healthy level of net current assets at c. £131k as a measure of the Club’s liquidity. It was noted that c. £94k of capital expenditure had been made in the period and that this was made up of a number of smaller projects such as the car park surfacing and a new boiler. The tennis court re-surface would be reflected in the next financial year.

Apologies for Absence

None.

Minutes of the 48th AGM

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed to be accurate.

Matters Arising

Have been covered throughout the year and in the Chairpersons update.

Election of the Executive Committee

One nomination was received for the position of Honorary Secretary. This was David Breakey who is therefore elected as Secretary. Three nominations for the remaining two Committee positions had been received and therefore an election was held. The nominations were received from Sarah Ferguson, Neil Johnson, and Chanté Melville.

Each of Sarah, Neil and Chanté spoke to make their case for election to the Committee. An election was then held and the ballots counted. As a result of the vote, Neil and Chanté were elected to the Executive Committee.

Therefore, the composition of the Executive Committee will be the following [with the date on which the member will reach the end of their term]:

• David Breakey (Honorary Secretary) [2028]
• Heather Dean [2027]
• Mark Haigh [2027]
• Neil Johnson [2028]
• Tatiana Kishka [2027]
• Chanté Melville [2028]
• Rachael Oswald-Wilkins (Honorary Treasurer) [2026]
• Mike Smith [2027]

Any Other Business

There was no other business.

The meeting was closed, and an Open Forum was held.

3. OPEN FORUM NOTES

Qu: Had a decision been made on the surface for any potential new outdoor tennis courts?

Ans: A decision has not been made. The wildlife impact would likely need to be considered and therefore they may need to be astro, this would also increase the number of astro courts which have been reduced with the resurfacing of courts 1-3 with artificial clay. The decision will need to consider the relevant facts but the Club’s preference currently is astro.

Qu: Have there been any thoughts on the soft landscaping of the Club?

Ans: Significant projects that require planning permission require a “replacement plan” and a “net gain” for wildlife, for example the previous padel plan had a net gain in excess of what was required. The Committee and management are very conscious of maintaining the look and feel of the grounds and maintaining greenery. For example 9 new trees have just been ordered to replace the ones which were cut back as a result of the tree survey.

Qu: Was there an indication around floodlights for any new tennis courts?

Ans: This would likely be a tricky spot to obtain planning permission for floodlights. Initial plans were approved for padel which did include lighting, but this would not be exactly the same site and would need significantly more lighting.

Qu: Could the lighting be improved in the car park particularly at the far end of the car park furthest from the Club?

Ans: The lights on the Clubhouse have been upgraded and there are lights installed on the Nursery. However, these don’t fully reach the far end of the car park. There are some complexities in that there is no cabling to the far end of the car park and there are the neighbouring residents to consider. However, the Club will investigate potential low-level lighting, including solar powered in the far end of the car park.

Qu: Is the padel court open with no canopy?

Ans: The initial plan is open, but the design allows for a canopy to be added in future, but this may be subject to additional planning requirements.

Qu: The padel planning proposal was at ground level, could it be sunk into the ground like the Indoor tennis centre to reduce the visual impact?

Ans: The challenges around this approach are the associated cost, with the previous plan we understood that this may as much as double the cost. However, the Club will investigate this possibility.

Qu: What is the approximate estimated cost of a single padel court?

Ans: The estimated cost is c. £103k including groundwork and lights.

Qu: Will the Club be making a full planning application for the new proposed padel site?

Ans: The Club would like to go ahead with a full planning application. Currently the Club needs approval from the Ground Company. The Ground Company have rejected the plans once and the Club has amended the plans and are seeking approval.

Qu: Is there a possibility of upgrading the surface of the remainder of the car park?

Ans: This is challenging as it is currently a porous surface. There are limits on how much surface can be concreted and this is very expensive, potentially in excess of £100k or £150k and therefore this is not currently a priority.

Qu: Is there any feedback on tribal cycle and hot pod yoga?

Ans: We understand that both are continuing to do well.