Our Club - Spring 2026

March 15, 2026

We're on the cusp of the new tennis season, and we already have much to celebrate! In this edition we pay tribute to some of the fantastic people we have in this club, and catch up and look ahead to what's in store at Backwell Tennis Club this spring/summer. Enjoy your tennis!

Emma Pattison
Club Chair

Steve Stephens

unsung hero - avon tennis LTA awards

We are immensely proud to share that Steve Stephens has been awarded an Unsung Hero Award by Avon Tennis as part of the annual LTA awards and recognition process. Steve has been a committee member for over 30 years and quietly yet expertly manages the club finances in his role as Treasurer. However, Steve's contribution to Backwell Tennis is so much more. He remains a dedicated league player and even more dedicated team contributor at the pub on Friday league nights! He works tirelessly behind the scenes on lots of the practical things that make a huge difference to our club - taking rubbish to the dump, taking charge of lost property (see pic above!), helping with maintenance jobs, managing the solar panels, sorting out our insurance, giving visitors access to the club, ordering new tennis balls, ball boying, etc.

Steve never asks for thanks, he never looks for recognition...and that is why this award is so well deserved.

Steve - we love having you around and we are so grateful for everything you do. Please enjoy a few pints on us and celebrate the difference you make to all of us at Backwell Tennis Club

Ball Boy

Elwyn FCCup

winner of the fran collins cup

At our AGM in November, we were delighted to award the Fran Collins Cup to Elwyn Williams. This cup is awarded annually by the club committee and celebrates people who have made a significantly positive difference to the club.

Elwyn has been recognised for his commitment to Backwell Tennis club over many years. He has done his time as a committee member and is now a regular stalwart at club play throughout the year. Elwyn is a true gent and is recognised by members as a calm, sporting and positive influence. He is also always willing to help out - during the clubhouse refurbishment in 2025 he pulled a double shift up a ladder painting the green wall in our communal space!

Elwyn - thank you so much for your dedication to Backwell tennis and for playing your tennis in such a positive spirit

Tom F

coach of the year - avon tennis LTA awards

Huge kudos to Tom Fowler who has been awarded the Coach of the Year Award by Avon Tennis. We're also delighted that Tom has been awarded a Highly Commended LTA Excellence Award (national award) in recognition of his dedication and hard work.

Tom has been a member of Backwell Tennis Club for many years and learnt his coaching here under the watchful eye of Ben Tilling, our Head Coach & Tennis Manager. Tom's energy and positivity is infectious and many of his clients stay in coaching just because they love being around him so much. Tom is always motivated to make a difference to our club and he has been instrumental in us setting up a relationship with Ravenswood School to bring adaptive tennis to children with a wide range of challenging and complex needs.

Tom's award recognises the huge contribution he is making to both Backwell Tennis Club and Nailsea Tennis Club, with members and clients in both clubs nominating him for this award. That is a fantastic recognition of his work and we all love having him around. Thank you Tom - we are so proud of you!

our agm & volunteers

We held our AGM last November and, in summary, the club is in great shape. We have money in the bank and we've continued to invest in the club with the refurbishment of the communal area of the clubhouse into a brighter, more welcoming space (a priority for members). We've reviewed our member charges and have removed additional fees for winter club play and for the club tournament.

Our membership numbers are stable, with slightly more adult members offset by slightly fewer juniors. Our tennis programme has expanded and we've been delighted to welcome Walking Tennis to the club for the first time. We continue to offer a full coaching programme for juniors and adults, and have expanded the programme for adult beginners and improvers, as well as offering more performance sessions for juniors.

We set up a fund for community tennis and have delivered free coaching sessions of adaptive tennis for children with complex needs. Our Open Days continue to be well supported by the local community, and our annual Club Tournament remains an excellent showcase event involving 70+ of our members. Our annual American Doubles event saw 26 players in friendly yet competitive mood, bringing together players from across the club. We hope to run more of these events in 2026.

Thank you to everyone who has played a part in delivering all of this - too many to mention but you know who you are. In particular, my thanks to the Committee for their unwavering positivity and hard work.

At this club, nothing gets done without someone volunteering to do it...there's always plenty of jobs to go around, and we're immensely grateful to the members who already get involved. This year, we're encouraging even more members to get stuck in and as part of our membership renewals we'll be asking members to tell us how they will help out around the club. We're also happy to hear from anyone willing to step onto the committee!

Finally, we formally recognised the contributions of John Lurie and John Tate who both stepped down from the Committee in 2025 after 30+ years of service. Their actions have significanly shaped the club we enjoy today and we thank them wholeheartedly for their tireless dedication.

Juniors BTC

juniors at backwell tennis

At our club, we want to have a thriving community of younger players and encourage more children to take up tennis as a lifetime sport. Tennis is a great game for everyone - with physical, social and mental wellbeing benefits which are so important for every generation.

To signal our positive intent, we have reduced our junior membership fees for 2026/2027 to encourage more young people to play more tennis outside of coaching. As well as arranging social play with friends, membership gives kids the chance to play league matches against other clubs, to participate in tournaments and fun club sessions, and to build confidence and maturity. More fresh air, more phyiscal exercise, more interaction, more opportunity to learn!

Katie Barry is our Junior Rep and has experienced the club as a junior member, as well as now being a qualified coach. She is very motivated to help children enjoy more tennis and will help parents to navigate the club for their children. To get in contact with Katie or to learn about Junior Membership then please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

tennis in OUR community

For the last two years, led by our club coach Tom Fowler, we have been running sessions with Ravenswood School to bring adaptive tennis to children with a wide range of different needs. In March 2025, we committed a small amount of club reserves to fund community tennis, matched by a contribution from Ovation Finance (a certified B-Corp company who are positively motivated to help the community and who have very special links to Backwell). These funds help buy equipment but also pay for our qualified coaches to run sessions in a professional and safe way.

Since then, we have run or have planned, four terms of tennis sessions with Ravenswood, each focused on a different group of children. The result has been incredibly positive - everyone enjoys the sessions immensely and there is a huge wave of 'feel good factor' for our club members in seeing our courts used this way.

open day - 2026

We're starting to ramp up planning for our Open Day which this year will take place on Saturday 18 April from 2pm. The day is a great opportunity to see around the club and to enjoy free coaching sessions for adults and children. There's always plenty of refreshments and everyone is welcome! Please watch our Facebook page, our website, and local community hubs for more information.

drop shots

Evening Summer Club Play starts Tueday 7 April! Open Club play sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings - see website for details

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