Hi all,
We have received advice & guidance from TRDC regarding Obligations of Hospitality Undertakings.
Whilst we are not a public house, café, or restaurant, we do serve drinks and food, primarily on Tuesday & Friday evenings plus Saturday afternoons.
Serving food or drinks, we must provide a booking system for a table, the provision of an NHS QR code, recording detail timings of arrival & leaving etc.
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide this level of service to our members; we do not employ people who can be tasked with this responsibility.
We are all volunteers, and that responsibility is too much for Martin (or whoever opens the bar) and whoever is on tea duty on a Saturday afternoon to ensure all attendees adhere to these regulations and maintain social distancing.
Further, the LTA have updated their guidelines for Venues & Players:
- When participating in any tennis activity indoors or outdoors, participants must not mingle in groups of more than six before and after the activity, while maintaining social distancing with those from another household at all times.
- If an organiser is not able to ensure this (including GUIDANCE FOR TENNIS VENUES / PLAYERS IN ENGLAND LTA.ORG.UK/CORONAVIRUS when arriving at or leaving activity or in any breaks or socialising) then such events should not take place.
- Attendees must avoid social interaction with anyone outside the group they are with, even if they see other people they know, at all times during their visit.
Unfortunately, there is minimal social distancing and ‘mingling’ remains prevalent at the club.
It is impractical for the organiser of any given ‘organised’ club session to ensure social distancing is maintained and therefore prevent ‘mingling’.
Consequently, in an effort to reduce the prevalence of ‘mingling’ (we cannot prevent it entirely) we have decided the safer way forward for us all to continue to enjoy playing tennis is not to serve food or drinks – the bar and kitchen will therefore be closed.
We will see how this goes and we may consider moving the tables, benches & chairs away from the area outside the clubhouse.
Thank you for your understanding; stay safe.
Chris Van Dyk
Chairman
Chorleywood Lawn tennis Club