Our Team

Covering two periods I have supported this fantastic Club as Chairman for a total of 7 years and I now help the enthusiastic committees as President.

My aim is to support the active committees, the terrific staff, the happy members, and this jewel of a Club.

I am a retired junior schoolteacher and want to see our juniors build and thrive in squash and tennis.

My greatest achievement since becoming Chairman has to have been finding Ashley Neaves and lately Zoe Shardlow.

The club has provided many opportunities for myself and my family during those nearly 40 years and I want to put something back in.

I am very keen to see our Development proposals progress, to enhance our already lively and successful club and enable it to reach its potential.

I would like to widen participation in all of our sports and activities, and to help in developing the club to support this aim. I’ve played in many clubs over a lifetime of tennis – but there is really nothing better than a sunny summer Saturday afternoon of social tennis and banter on the beautiful Avenue grass!

I aim to bring a clear commercial focus and energy to some of the strategic and tactical goals that the Club has set itself. But importantly, my ambition is to serve members by managing the Club’s finances prudently, creating a simplified framework of financial reporting for the next Treasurer to build on.

Fitness and wellbeing have been a long-standing passion of mine, and I am keen to ensure the continued growth and success of the Gym and Fitness section at The Avenue. I am a regular attendee of several different classes each week and also help in the gym on a voluntary basis. I’d like to see the section go from strength to strength and eventually one day have a Fitness Studio/Multi-purpose function room, and an extended gym.

In 1992 I started working permanently for the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society customer services until retirement in 2006.

From 2005 – 2008 I was a member of Lord Mayor of Portsmouth’s fund-raising committee.

I re-joined the Club sometime after as a tennis member and have been involved with organising social events and marketing.

I have also regularly been a Tournament Host for the ITF Seniors and LTA County Week tournaments.

I am currently the Social representative on the Management Committee.

To improve the Club, I would like to see the bar / social area upgraded and extended to attract more new members and boost income.

I have been connected to the club for over 20 years joining with my husband Grahame when we moved to Havant from Chichester in 1999.

Whilst running my business, in 2010 the opportunity came up in the Avenue office to work one day a week, relishing the opportunity to try my hand at something new I applied for the position and was successful. Although I was used to the administrative side of running a business, I was keen to hone my office skills and took myself to college to gain Microsoft qualifications. Over the course of the next 2 years I increased my office hours and in October 2012 I was promoted to Office Manager.

Alongside my position at The Avenue I continued with my outside catering business and also catered for big club events such as County week and club parties until 2017 when after over 30 years in the catering industry I decided to hang up my apron!

My work at the club is very varied In September this year I will celebrate 10 years working at the Avenue and there really could be no better place to work than looking out over our beautiful grass courts on a daily basis.

My spare time is busy, i have 3 grandchildren who keep me on my toes! i play tennis although not as often as I would like, and I like to keep fit walking, running & enjoying the fitness classes at the club, Grahame and I love to travel with a particular love of Asia.

I took a break in my career to have my 2 children but continued to High Jump. After getting an injury I had to stop, so decided to combine my interest in sport and restart my career and trained as Fitness Instructor in 1992, which fitted in well with my growing family. I went on to teach various classes, including Step and Boxercise, in the local area for the next 17 years.

In 2009, an opportunity presented itself to teach fitness classes at The Avenue, first teaching Legs, Bums and Tums and then Spinning. After 3 years I got offered the job as Office Assistant and really love working in the office, with Justine, and I think we make a great team. The role has grown over the years and more recently I have taken on the role of Studio Co-Ordinator and overseeing the social media aspects of the Club.

During my spare time I enjoy cooking, photography and spending time with my friends and family where I have 2 small grandchildren to keep me busy.