The rumours are true, our club is at risk

Hi [[firstname]],

I need to share some bad news on behalf of the committee, and so this email won’t be in the same jovial tone you’ve come to expect from me.

You may have heard whispers that Bristol City Council are considering terminating the long-standing arrangement between our club, Greville Smyth Tennis Club, and themselves. Those whispers are true. If this happens, the courts will be taken over, likely by Wesport, who run several other tennis courts within parks around Bristol.

Westport have done a good job taking over dilapidated, underutilised courts that don’t have active clubs. The story is different at Greville Smyth TC. We’re a self-managed, self-funded community club with almost 500 members, with a long legacy and deep roots in the local community. We don’t believe it’s the right move. And we’re gearing up to fight.

In recent years, Greville Smyth TC’s engagement with the local community, and broader Bristol tennis community, has grown. Through social sessions on and off the court, free walking tennis, new teams in the Avon Tennis league and more, we’ve been working hard to make Greville Smyth an inclusive space to make friends and enjoy tennis. And we’re just getting started; with future plans for Floodlight, toilet facilities, PAYG court bookings, and to expand our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) tennis sessions.

Rest-assured, we’re working hard behind the scenes and I’ll make sure to keep you updated.

There are a few ways you can help right now..

Keep an eye out for more emails from me. We’re likely to ask you help by completing surveys, writing testimonials, and appealing to your local councilors.
Start conversations. We’ve built an excellent community considering we have just 2 courts and a bench, make sure people know about it. Make sure people know what’s happening. Make sure people know the value you and your family have got from GSTC over the years.
Join the club WhatsApp to stay in touch with us, and other members. You can join via this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/G1j7I6XyS5ELyQtFjwDzhD
Leave us a Google Review. The more value the Council can see in GSTC, the harder it will be to justify. Include any pictures, personal GSTC stories or things you like about the club. Te longer the review, the better! Leave a review here: https://tinyurl.com/gstc-review

Thank you for taking the time to hear me out. Your support means the world to us.

Regards,
James Mikkelson, GSTC Chair

On behalf of the GSTC Committee.

31/07/2026