You will be well aware that the Club has been on life support since the first lockdown back in the spring of 2020. UK government support has been invaluable, and we have been able to take advantage of furlough payments, various grants, and a bounce back loan which we took at the time. In fact, that loan was payment free for 12 months, but repayment has now commenced, and it will be repaid over the next 5 years. In a nutshell the pandemic has severely interrupted our development strategy, Vision 2030, which was agreed by the membership at the 2019 AGM. It has also severely affected our financial situation and it is imperative that we take continuing action to mitigate matters.

We have attempted to keep the Club open as far as possible during the last 18 months including the provision of the beer garden which has been extremely attractive to members and visitors alike, weather permitting. We have also been able to open the Club’s internal bars whenever Covid restrictions have allowed. Because of social distancing rules, we have only been able to accommodate a restricted number of members and their guests at any time whilst at the same time having to increase staff numbers and provide extra facilities such as PPE and disposable plastic glasses. In truth, a Covid bar is expensive to run.
After a thorough analysis of our financial situation, it has become clear that our current arrangements are unsustainable. We have operated a catering service utilising temporary chefs and a restricted menu, but unfortunately, we are experiencing substantial losses in providing food at the weekends. We regret therefore that we will discontinue the provision of cooked meals with immediate effect until we can see much more clearly what the future holds, and we are able to open the Club up fully. In the meantime, there will be a range of cold snacks available to purchase at the bars.

You will have witnessed ongoing significant and expensive repairs to the pavilion, and at the same time, regular maintenance of the estate continues. Furthermore, our suppliers across the board are increasing prices as the full effects of the pandemic surge through the economy. Consequently, we have had to consider our own prices and a full review of our pricing structure is being undertaken and more news of that in due course. Our staff have been magnificent during these last few months, and they are to be congratulated on the effort they have put in and continue to put into delivering Covid-19 regulated service.

The hospitality industry is enduring a tough time at the moment. We are no different, and we trust members will understand why withdrawal of food service with immediate effect is necessary in the light of current circumstances. In the meantime, we would like to thank all members (both new and on-going) for your continued support of the club in these difficult times.