Reviving Helpston Lawn Tennis Club: A community’s rally for a Century-old legacy

Unfortunately, just some of the comments regularly heard whenever Helpston Lawn Tennis Club (HLTC) has been mentioned.  So, just to clarify – yes, there is a tennis club with two grass courts and yes it does still operate through the summer months.

Take a stroll down Church Lane and opposite the entrance to Helpston Church are two wooden steps leading to a gate and pathway, at the end of which are the two enclosed tennis courts and a wooden pavilion – a little tired and lacking a bit of care but nevertheless just waiting to be used by villagers and visitors alike.

But over the last couple of years, membership has been declining and, due to extremes in the weather, the courts have deteriorated – to the point that there was concern as to whether the club would continue to exist. Which is tragic when you realise that there has been tennis played on the courts for over 100 years and HLTC has been in existence for almost as long.

So not wanting it to fail on ‘our watch’ a small but determined group of villagers have banded together to try and ensure that HLTC is put firmly back on the village map and once more becomes a thriving club with coaching, tournaments, and club nights – and of course social events!

The History of HLTC

The Club is located on land farmed by the Franks family – a long established farming family with generations of Franks having lived – and still living – in Helpston and the surrounding areas.

George Franks, born in 1892, was married to Eleanor – known as Nora – and she loved tennis. And so it was that George created a grass tennis court for his lovely wife and family to use.

Initially the court, which was only used by the Franks family and friends, was known as Helpston & District Tennis Club, and was run along the lines of a private members club. Unfortunately, despite much research, it has not been possible to locate an actual creation date of HDTC but we do know that it was operating as far back as March 1922.  However, in March 1925 it was decided to open membership to the wider community on an ‘invitation only’ basis and then in April 1927 membership was opened to the public – with all successful applications being approved by the committee. And so, despite wars, droughts and floods, tennis has been played every summer in Helpston since then.

Over the years the Franks family have continued with their support of HLTC – not only providing the land but holding the office of President and in 1948 providing two trophies for the winners of the GM Franks Challenge Cup – keenly fought over at the end of each season.

However, only the Ladies cup can now be found.  What has happened to the Gentleman’s Cup? It must be somewhere.  Hopefully someone may recognise the photograph or remember seeing it tucked away in the back of a cupboard somewhere!  It would be wonderful if we could locate it and reunite it with its partner.

A sad footnote to this history of HLTC is that in Sept 1932 Nora Franks became seriously ill and was taken into hospital where she died of sepsis on 20^th Sept.  She was 43 years of age and left five children under the age of 13.

The Future of HLTC – the next chapter

And so HLTC has continued since the 1920’s.  Committee members have come and gone but the Club has always been a constant and it is our aim for it to continue. Arrangements have been made for a restoration programme – beginning in Spring 2024 – of the tennis courts to bring them back to a suitable playing condition and the plan is that by mid-summer the courts will be ready for play.

A social media campaign has been put into place with an updated FB page www.facebook.com/HelpstonTennis  and newly created Instagram account (search for helpstonltc)

A programme of coaching for adults and children is being planned

There is to be a HLTC Ground Force Day on Saturday 27^th January 2024 from 10am at the tennis courts.

The plan is to:

• Spring clean the Clubhouse
• Tidy up around the courts
• Weed & cut back around the fencing
• Generally clear up as much of the area as possible

So please come along. There will be refreshments and all are very welcome.  You don’t need to be a club member – or even be able to play tennis!  But we do need new members though as without enough we just cannot continue. The Club is not just open to Helpston villagers – anyone in Tribland can join.

So put the date in your diary.  It will be a great opportunity to meet some new faces, familiarise yourself with the courts and to help make sure that HLTC not only survives but thrives for another 100 years.

For any further information on HLTC please contact Tammy Tushingham on 07734 544578 or tammy.tushingham@btinternet.com

Memories of HLTC by Fiona Cumberpatch

HLTC was an important part of village life for young teenagers in the 70s. I wasn’t sporty, but Wimbledon was big, with Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert and Virginia Wade dominating the headlines, and I loved watching tennis on TV.

I joined the club in 1977, when I was 13 or 14. When we heard that there was going to be Friday night coaching, my friend Sally Hobbs and I were excited. There wasn’t a huge amount going on in the village for younger people: I don’t think there was a Youth Club, and there was hardly any public transport, maybe one bus a day to Peterborough. I’m sure the coaching was organised by a lady named Judy Matthews or Matthew. She had a daughter, Anne, who was talented at tennis. The new sessions were very well attended and brought together teenagers from different schools, which was quite unusual at that time. I made new friends: Emma Lyall, from Maxey, and Karen Brown, who had recently moved to the village.

There was also a very glamorous brother and sister called Carlton and Vanessa, who arrived in a big car and wore proper sparkling whites, whereas Sally and I had homemade tennis skirts that we’d cobbled together in our needlework class at school!
We started playing and hanging out there at other times too, especially during the summer holidays. I seem to remember that there was a hidden key to the court or hut, and we were trusted to let ourselves in and out, which we did, often. In my diary of 1977, every other day seems to say ‘played tennis,’ or ‘met my friends at tennis.”  Of course, in my memory, it is always golden and sunny, which was certainly not the case, but we could shelter in the hut if it rained.  I can still remember the smell of that wooden club hut: creosote, grass, canvas and sunshine. I remember the machine which made the white lines on the courts, propped up outside.

The adult members sometimes held social events there, and we were drafted in to help behind the scenes, washing up and making teas and coffees. Sadly, my tennis never did improve much, despite the sterling efforts of Judy, and occasional visiting coaches. But I don’t think that was the point: the club was always a welcoming place for me, a little sanctuary in the hurly burly of adolescence and a much-needed social hub.