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'Members feel better just for coming to our club'

Andrew Turner and Edd SmithBBC News, Norfolk
News imageEdd Smith/BBC Sue Gill stands with a tennis racquet in a sports hallEdd Smith/BBC
Sports Club 88 organiser Sue Gill, 73, said prior to the Covid pandemic, the group had a waiting list

An over-50s sports group says it needs new blood after a decline in members since the Covid pandemic.

Sports Club 88 offers activities such as table tennis, short tennis and badminton at the Marina Centre in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Sue Gill, 73, who runs the group, said: "Before Covid we had 100 members and a waiting list.

"We are now down to 70 or 80, so we are looking for new members."

News imageEdd Smith/BBC Sports club members playing tennis at the Great Yarmouth Marina CentreEdd Smith/BBC
Membership at Sports Club 88 declined during the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The group is aimed at people over 50 of all abilities and even has some members in their 90s.

It got a £10,000 lottery grant in 2023 to help subsidise fees.

Mrs Gill added: "It's the well-being [that people enjoy]. People come here, even though they have stopped playing.

"They can be a social member and just come for a cup of coffee with us.

"We had a wedding here last year with a couple who met on the courts, so lots to celebrate; a really social club.

"We get members who say they feel better just for coming here; just being with other people and not being in isolation."

News imageEdd Smith/BBC Ray Howes standing with a tennis racquet inside a sports hallEdd Smith/BBC
Ray Howes, 78, said sports helped him through the grief of losing his wife

However social the group is, it is competitive on the court, too.

Member Ray Howes, 78, put his youthfulness down to the fresh air on the coast.

"I have been fortunate all my life I've been able to keep fairly fit; not just with Sports Club 88, but I play golf and bowls, so my life is really centred around sport," he said.

"I haven't missed work, because of all the sports that I play. Five years ago I lost my wife and being with other people here helps you through that sad stage."

He said he had met a woman who had also lost her partner and had introduced her to bowls, badminton and short tennis.

"It's a good way when you go through a bad spell in life when you do need company, because it's so easy to sit in an armchair and fester away," he added.

"Having clubs like Sports Club 88 is just brilliant."

Membership costs £100 a year, which equates to £1 a session, with free parking at the Marina Centre.

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