Summer is here, the grass courts are in full use with tennis players all in white, cricket is being played and it’s only a few weeks until Fête Champêtre and the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic. And all this, despite the fourth wettest February since records began nearly 200 years ago – quite a contrast to 2023 where we saw the driest February for 30 years!

Many of you will have met Siôn Parry, who has joined the Club as the Food & Beverage (F&B) Executive. He is already making a difference and I know would welcome feedback, so please do speak to him when you see him around the Club. A longer introduction from F&B appears here. Siôn’s appointment means that the Club’s Senior Leadership Team now has all the right people in the right positions to face the challenges of the coming years. The priorities for the team for the next few years are to deliver the Masterplan, to enhance member experience, to improve our internal processes and systems, to foster a data-driven culture and digital transformation and to improve sustainability. As part of the review of the team, we have changed some of the job titles to better reflect our roles. These include, rather than being called ‘Executives’, titles will now be ‘Director of xxxx’. Further details can be found on the Club’s website.

"The priorities for the team for the next few years are to deliver the Masterplan"

Of course, the staff are only one half of the equation; the Club could not run without the extraordinary commitment of hundreds of volunteers. Joining a sub-committee (we have more than 40 of them) is a great way to contribute to the Club and to learn about the workings ‘behind the scenes’. The Club is hosting a drinks party in June to say thank you to the more than 240 committee members for everything they do.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the Masterplan, the first of our objectives. There is a lot going on across a number of projects, with updates appearing later in the magazine. You will first see activity in the East Wing when the project begins. There was widespread support in feedback for the look of the new restaurant, when the latest images were revealed in April. There were also things that members did not like, and we have listened to those comments and amended the design accordingly. Inevitably the works will cause disruption in and around the Club. In addition to details in the Masterplan Monthly newsletter, the anticipated impacts can be found here.

As usual, I have included a short ‘Boring but Important’ section below, but I wanted to mention here the matter of guest fee evasion. Members are asked to ensure that all guests fees are paid before their guests use the facilities in question. The deliberate evasion of guest fees is dishonest and tantamount to defrauding the Club. The Main Committee is reviewing the appropriate bye-laws and policies, so that offenders will be jeopardising their membership of the Club.

MICHAEL O’DWYER, SECRETARY

Boring but Important

As summer approaches and (hopefully) the weather improves, the numbers coming to enjoy the Club and its grounds will increase. To ensure everyone has the best experience possible and that we keep our grounds looking lovely, I thought I’d highlight a few areas that haven’t been up to Hurlingham standards recently.

Respect for the grounds
Please respect the flora and fauna in the grounds. Do not allow dogs or children to play in flower beds, pick flowers, ‘investigate’ bird boxes or bug hotels or dig holes in the golf greens.

Rubbish and dirties
When you are in the grounds, please put any rubbish in the bins provided, and return your dirty glasses to the bar and crockery to the nearest clearing station. Please don’t leave a mess, expecting others to come and clear up after you.

Dogs
Please ensure that your dogs are under your control and on leads whenever in the Club’s grounds. They can be left at designated hitching posts for short periods whilst owners pop into the Club but not, for example, while you have lunch inside.

Parking
More visitors will mean more cars. Parking is limited in the Club so please, when you do park, do so considerately, parking in marked bays and where directed. Do not leave your car in the Club overnight or when you are not in the Club.