You may (or may not have) spotted this post in local FoD groups.

For some of you who are wondering… Here’s some questions I’ve had today.

Is the club closing at the Miners? Short answer, no. However, we are not profitable as we stand. A lack of drivers and the lack of opening days we can get for the money we pay, is starting to have an effect on the club funds. We can survive, but there will come a time when the doors will have to close unless we do something.

Why a tennis court? Simple, it’s the right size and usually a decent surface! The trip to Bedworth at the weekend reminded me of how fond I was the last time I had been there of their setup. Yes it’s a smaller track compared to others, but the way they’ve utilised it is superb. So why can’t we do the same!?

What about the planning issues at Elton Corner? We’ll hope to avoid the “headaches” caused by the planning officers by dialing everything down a lot. This could mean a more “temporary” structure, a gazebo for race control and potentially no mains power (to begin with) if we get this done.

I’ve been linked up to a few sites worth exploring for an outside track, and I’ll be finding the time to visit them over the coming weeks to see which is worth opening dialogues up with for discussing our usage and what we can achieve with little funds.

We’ll be continuing to look for a slightly bigger venue as well for indoor racing, and I do foresee a future for the club that includes outdoors in the summer months, and indoors in the winter. Something a fair few other clubs do.

Feel free to hit me with any questions or ideas tomorrow at the club!

Mark

Chair

Post text from the group’s

“On the hunt for something fairly specific… Are there any “disused” or “barely used” tennis courts in the Forest Of Dean?

Obviously there was a lovely set of three up at Five Acres Leisure centre but who knows what the plans are for them now.

And weirdly, it’s not for tennis. It’s all for the Forest of Dean Radio Control Car Club . At the weekend myself and some club members raced a national event in Nuneaton, on some repurposed tennis courts alongside 100 other racers.

Whilst some may think it’s “toy cars” I can guarantee you they are anything but. With speeds hitting over 80mph for the really top formats, and with more adjustability than Lewis Hamiltons Mercedes, it’s a scale Motorsport with a worldwide reach. Even in the local area, there is a Multiple national and international champion.

We were planning a double header set of tracks near Elton corner, but a lack of funding has pushed that plan into the ethers. So, if we could find a set of tennis courts… We could afford to bring some scale Motorsport to an area that is already rich in Motorsport. And of course, with national events, drivers need places to stay and places to eat!

So, I’d anyone knows some discussed tennis courts, or even some decent disused tarmac land… The club would love to hear from you!”