South London tennis club threatened with closure is less than £3k away from fundraising target
A South London tennis club that is threatened with closure is less than £3,000 away from funding its own bid to buy the site. Norbury Park Lawn Tennis Club's (NPLTC's) future has been in doubt since Croydon Council announced its intention to dispose of the site.
Despite claiming it isn't selling the site in Norbury, the council does want to lease it out to save money as the authority faces crippling debts, and unless the tennis club can raise the funds to buy it themselves, it leaves it open to other offers from developers or groups who may not want to keep the club running.
After setting a fundraising target of £25,000, Norbury Park's members have been donating their own money and working hard to generate the funds, with the Gofundme now sitting at £22,482 as of Monday (March 10). In an update posted on March 5 on the fundraising page, at which point it was still £3,500 away from its target, a spokesperson for the club said: "We are thrilled to share that thanks to your incredible generosity, we are so close to reaching our fundraising goal!
READ MORE: Police name man charged with murder after boy, 16, shot dead in Stockwell
READ MORE: Abbey Wood teenager organised 'exceptionally violent' kidnapping in bid to steal £77k
"Your kind donations have brought us within touching distance of our target, and we now have just over £3,500 left to raise in the next 30 days! Your support has been nothing short of amazing, and we are deeply grateful for every contribution. Each pound donated brings us one step closer to buying the land and saving our precious club!"
Further fundraising event are planned in the form of a quiz night on Friday (March 14), a veterans' tennis tournament on April 2 and a Grand Fundraising Finale Party on Saturday, April 5.
You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/securing-the-future-of-norbury-park-lawn-tennis-club
Croydon Council and the tennis club signed a Heads of Terms agreement in October 2024, and the two sides have been negotiating to finalise the lease since then. The £25,000 is the missing amount that will allow NPLTC to secure the site on a 999-year lease giving them long-term security, having already set some money aside and taken out small loans to fund the rest. NPLTC is the only tennis club in North Croydon and one of the oldest in the world, having been founded in 1890.
MyLondon is supporting NPLTC through its own campaign, Don't Cut the Heart Out of London, aimed at saving community venues from closure.
Receive the latest Croydon news, breaking updates, and features directly in your inbox. Sign up for our Croydon Central newsletter here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
7 hours ago
- CNN
Former Alabama track champion Eliud Kipsang dies after cardiac arrest aged 28
Former NCAA track star Eliud Kipsang, who earned several first-team All-America honors as a runner, has died aged 28, according to Alabama Athletics. Alabama Athletics released a statement Wednesday confirming that Kipsang had died on Tuesday evening. 'We are heartbroken by the passing of Eliud Kipsang, one of the most gifted athletes ever to wear crimson and white,' said Alabama Athletics' head coach Dan Waters. 'His impact on our program extended far beyond records and championships; he was a beloved teammate, a brother to so many and a dear friend to me, personally. 'On behalf of the entire Alabama family, we extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones. The running community has lost a remarkable soul.' The university statement did not provide details of how Kipsang had died but a GoFundMe page set up to cover his funeral costs says he suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday. The fundraising page says the 28-year-old was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA, where he spent the subsequent days in intensive care as doctors tried to save his life. Kipsang broke three school records during his successful time with the Crimson Tide, where he was also named the 2021 SEC Runner of the Year. The track star was born in Kenya before moving to Alabama for his first season in 2020, winning the SEC 1,500-meter title in his debut year. He then went on to win the individual SEC cross-country title. During the 2022 season, Kipsang broke the collegiate record in the outdoor 1,500m, clocking a time of 3:33.74 – the mark still remains in the top five in collegiate history. Kipsang still holds three Alabama Athletics records in the indoor mile, indoor distance medley relay and the outdoor 1,500m. He also has six times that are still in the top-10 of Alabama track and field history. In 2021, Kipsang also competed in the Kenya Olympic trials, before trialing for the World Championships the following year.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Crisis-hit Croydon Council needs reset, MP says
A "short and sharp reset" is required for Croydon Council to recover from poor performance and high debt levels, the minister for housing, communities and local government has announced. Jim McMahon has told the House of Commons the council's financial position is "deteriorating rapidly" after a report highlighted concerns about its ability to improve. McMahon said that failing to change course "would condemn Croydon's residents to a worsening position without an exit strategy" and he was "minded to" send in commissioners to run the council. Executive mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said he and the council "had done everything possible" to fix the finances "whilst protecting vital services". Perry added: "We have generated over £230m in capital receipts, including £130m of asset sales and have plans to sell a further £68m assets this year. "The council also raised council tax by 10% over the cap in 2023, to help meet the panel's demand that we close the gap in the council's finances." The council had been under review by the government's improvement and assurance panel, set up to provide external advice, challenge and expertise. McMahon said the council's general fund debt sits at around £1.4bn and it relies on the allocation of Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) through in-principle capitalisation directions to balance its budget. The panel's report has said there has been a lack of pace throughout the intervention, but the deteriorating financial position, which is not being gripped and tackled adequately by the council, is reaching a "financial crisis". McMahon added: "I am satisfied that the London Borough of Croydon is failing to comply with its Best Value Duty. I am therefore minded to exercise powers of direction under section 15(5) and 15(6) of the Local Government Act 1999 to implement an intervention package." Perry said, via a statement: "If at any time the panel or government felt that there was any action the council should be taking and was not, they had the power to instruct us. They never did. "Surely that means we are doing everything possible, and they agree with our actions? We have already made very difficult decisions and in my view the residents of Croydon have felt enough pain. "Despite all the improvements that have been delivered by the council and its staff, it appears the government wants to centralise control into the hands of commissioners." He said the council would consider all options before submitting its formal response to the government, the deadline for which is 25 June. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Croydon Council asks for £136m government bailout Council to make cuts to services to save £30m Croydon approves council tax rise of 15%
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
An LA couple moved to Mexico to avoid deportation. They racked up $20K in debt, but are feeling more hopeful they can build a life together.
Alfredo Linares moved to Mexico with his wife Raegan Kline due to deportation fears in the U.S. The couple left Los Angeles with $20,000 in debt after closing their Japanese barbecue pop-up restaurant. After several months of instability, the two are finally finding some footing in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. When Raegan Kline and Alfredo Linares married last summer, their dream felt straightforward and simple: start a Japanese barbecue pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles and live happily ever after. But all of that changed in the fall when President Donald Trump, who had promised mass deportations on the campaign trail, won reelection. Linares, who had worked his way up in fine dining to become a cook in a Michelin Star restaurant, arrived in the US as a teenager at 19 with his family and has lived here illegally ever since. Kline, a US citizen, was stricken with worry that at any moment, her husband could be arrested and deported. "I really didn't feel safe," Kline said. "Every morning I would wake up saying, 'If we don't go and something happens to him, I'll never be able to forgive myself.' " In March, the couple moved from Culver City to Linare's birth country of Mexico in hopes of improving their chances of building a future together. "I lived in the shadows for 20 years," Linares said. "I'm 38 years old, so I don't think I have 10 more years of living in the shadows when I'm trying to build a business and grow as a family, as an entrepreneur." Do you have a story to share about moving or immigration? Reach out to this reporter at jdeng@ Going into debt to move to Mexico The couple received around $10,000 in cash from their parents as a wedding gift. They had originally hoped to use the money to hire a lawyer to help Linares gain citizenship, but they wrestled with the best way to use the money to secure a future together. "Do we really go ahead and gamble and trust this administration with this $10,000 that our parents gave us for our wedding gifts, or do we use that $10,000 to move to Mexico?" Kline said of their dilemma. But even the wedding gift wasn't enough to help them break even and start fresh in Mexico. The pair took on debt to start their Japanese barbecue business last spring. While they tried to get it off the ground, their bills ballooned to over $20,000. They raised over $4,000 online through GoFundMe to help them with their relocation. Since the move, they've attempted to find jobs in hospitality, but because Linares doesn't have an identification card and Kline doesn't have work authorization as a temporary resident, it's been difficult to pay the bills. "We're not earning an income," Kline said. "We have all of that stress and try to keep our credit card in a reasonable place and keep ourselves on a budget." Adjusting to life in a new country The biggest hurdle for them has been navigating the deluge of paperwork and bureaucracy in a new country. "I'm very Americanized," Linares said. "Yes, I'm Mexican, but I haven't been here for 20 years. It's totally different from the Mexico I left." From needing a physical copy of a birth certificate to struggling to establish Linares' permanent residence, it's been hard for him to get an ID card when they were first living in Airbnbs in Mexico City. "I need my ID, but I cannot have an ID because I don't have a home address. And I can't get a home address because I don't have a job, because I don't have an ID," Linares said of the frustrating situation. Now they are renting an apartment in Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco, where they've been finally settling in over the past three weeks. "I feel like myself a little bit more," Kline said of the stability. "I'm realizing that this is where we live, this is our home. We're not on vacation." Kline is now able to see past the trials of the past few months and look toward the future with more hope. They've since brought down their rescue dog Dolly Love from Los Angeles to live with them in Mexico. "I do believe we made the right choice," Kline said. "I do believe that there's opportunity here. I do believe in my husband and his talents and his skills." The move to Mexico has tested their relationship and challenged them in many different ways, but Linares said the core of their bond hasn't been shaken. They keep a routine of checking in with each other over coffee every morning. "She makes things easier, and it's because of the communication that we have," Linares said of his wife.
