It with much sadness that Wycombe Badminton Centre has learned of the recent  passing of Dave Dovey.
Dave was a long standing Committee Member for both the local league as well as the Management Committee at the Centre.
He was the founder of Revelations BC, a Club formed from his contacts at the College where he worked (now Bucks New University). He tirelessly submitted league reports to the local paper and members remember fondly his unbiased and fair accounts of all matches.
He famously learned Italian and offered his coaching skills to the Italian Badminton Association, which epitomises his generous nature and love of the sport.
Indeed, until recently, Dave would still call the Centre for clarification on new rules of the sport, or scoring changes, such was his genuine interest in Badminton.
He will be sadly missed by all who knew him at the Centre and remembered with much affection.
 
Dave’s funeral service will be held at the St Margaret’s Church, Tylers Green (HP10 8NY) at 11.00am on Monday 12th July. Current rules permit only 30 in church, so if more turn up some may have to stay outside. Hopefully the weather may be kind but better bring a brolly, just in case. After this, Dave will be buried at the Cock Lane cemetery  12 midday and there will be a wake at the Old Queens Head pub (HP10 8EY opposite the church) at 1pm. Same attendance rules apply at the pub but if the weather is ok we can gather in any number outside but if it’s raining, only 30 will be allowed inside and have to be seated and served at the table.
 
No flowers please but if you wish to make a donation, Dave’s preferred charities are; Cancer Research; Help the Aged; and British Heart Foundation. If you make a donation please make it in Dave’s name so they know where it has come from.

We are launching our new Booking System as of Tuesday, June 1, 2021.  It has several key advantages over the old system, which we hope will make things easier for you.  These include:

• Being able to pay for membership online and immediately be able to make bookings
• Our annual memberships will now last 12 months from the time you make your membership payment, so you won't lose a day's worth of value by joining later in the year
• No more PayPal, meaning you are always presented with the option to pay by card - we have moved to Stripe
• Booking multiple courts at the same time - use the shopping cart to pay for all bookings in a single transaction
• QR Code Check-in at Reception - meaning less time spent getting in and more time on the courts playing badminton

In this email we will show you what the system looks like, how you can access it, register as a member and how to book courts.

How to Access the New System
You can find our new booking system via the "Book a Court" menu option on our website badmintonwycombe.co.uk (as of Tuesday 1st June). There, you will be greeted by the new Calendar view showing you court availability and the options to register as a new user or login to the system.

Registering for the New System
If you joined as a member of the Centre after March 1st, 2020, you should have received an email from the system before Monday 19th April, providing you with a username and password.  If you joined after March 1st, 2020 and haven't receive such a welcome email, please do contact the Centre and we will sort this out for you.

If you need to re-join the Centre, as you haven't paid for membership since before March 1st, 2020, then you will need to click on the "Register as a new user" link, complete the form and make the £20 annual membership payment.

Once you have registered as a new member and made the payment, you will immediately be able to log into the new system and make court bookings - no more waiting for us to process your application.

Please note:

• Your Login will be the email address you have registered with Badminton Wycombe
• Each individual member will need their own unique email address
• If you are a member and/or you have multiple children who need to be members they will each need a unique email address - it is free and simple to set-up new Gmail accounts (you can use any email provider you wish) and then have those emails forwarded to your personal email address, so that you receive their booking emails

Booking a Court
Once you have logged into the system using your email address and password, you can navigate to the date that you wish to book a court (the usual 9-day advanced booking limit still applies) to see court availability.

To book a court, click on the "Add Booking" button that is above the calendar view

You will then be asked to select:

• the court you wish
• the time you want to start playing
• the time you wish to stop playing
• select if it is a 1 To 1 coaching session; and
• if it is a 1 To 1 coaching session, from a drop down menu, with which coach you will be working

You will also be asked to enter the details of the additional players with whom you will be playing as well as being able to select the option for "Pay Day Membership" if that person(s) is not a member and you wish to include the Day Membership fee(s) in your total booking costs, meaning you don't have to pay Day Membership fees at reception, helping you to get onto court quicker.  

Players will still be able to pay for Day Membership at reception by card, if you wish.

Please do enter the other players' email addresses as they will be sent emails about the booking - please see later in this email about QR codes.

You can then add more bookings if you so wish. Once you have made all the court bookings you wish, you will need to go to the "Checkout" button that is to the right of the "Add Booking" button.

You will then be shown all the bookings you have made, as well as any Day Memberships you are paying for and be asked to provide your payment card details to pay for all the bookings that you are wishing to make, plus the Day Memberships requested.

QR Codes
For each court booking, you as the booker and each of the players that you have registered against each court booking will receive an email informing with the details of the booking and a unique QR code.

That QR code can then be scanned at reception to check you into the Centre, speeding up the process for getting you on court.

The email and QR code is unique to that particular booking and that particular person - so once it is scanned, it cannot be used again.

We hope to have the QR code reader up at reception in the coming days.

If you have any difficulties
If you should encounter any difficulties, please do get in contact with us and we will do everything we can to help.

Whilst we have done our very best to test all possible uses of the system, we know that we might have missed something and that it will take a little time for us, as well as you, to get used to the new system. So, if there are any issues, we hope that you will be patient with us whilst we learn how to become experts on it. ​

We Are Reopening Monday, April 12thPlease read all the important information belowApologies for the long email, but there is a lot of important information of which to make you aware.

With Monday's Government announcement about the release from lockdown, we are delighted to  confirm that we will be reopening Badminton Wycombe from Monday, April 12th.  As this is the first step on a phased path to full release from lockdown there are some important changes of which you need to be aware.

These changes are detailed below and cover:

• Opening Hours
• Restrictions on the Type of Play Permitted
• Safety
• New Online Booking System
• Membership
• Strings 'N' Things

Opening Hours
We have modified our opening hours until further notice.  The opening hours will be monitored constantly and will be reviewed periodically so as to best align with demand for courts and our ability to make opening a commercial viability.

Monday       9.00am - 8.00pm
Tuesday      2.00pm - 8.00pm
Wednesday 2.00pm - 8.00pm
Thursday    2.00pm - 8.00pm
Friday         2.00pm - 8.00pm
Saturday    11.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday       11.00am - 5.00pm

If you are wanting to play outside of these times, please do let us know. We cannot promise that we will immediately be able to accommodate you, but it will help us understand what changes might be needed.

Restrictions on the Type of Play Permitted
In accordance with Badminton England and Government restrictions the only the following is permitted:

• Adults may only play with other adults and juniors from the same household
• Adults & Juniors may undertake 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Badminton Wycombe approved coaches
• Organised junior clubs and coaching activities
• Elite play as provided by the Centre

Please note that the above is subject to revision should the advice by the government and/or Badminton England change.  The latest guidance from Badminton England can be located here.

Safety
The safety of our players and staff remains our number one priority. Therefore, the rules before lockdown remain in place.  These include:

• 2 meter social distancing will be observed
• All players must wear face coverings except whilst on court playing
• No parents / spectators are permitted in the building
• The one-way system remains in effect
• Players will be called into the Centre in court order, please queue in an orderly fashion outside the front door whilst waiting to be let in
• The only toilet facilities are the downstairs toilets and are a unisex facility with one person allowed in at any one time
• The upstairs, including bar and kitchen remain out of bounds
• The showers remain unavailable to use
• The Centre will continue to undertake extra cleaning and will provide hand sanitiser for everyone
• The Centre will remain a cashless facility
• All court bookings must be made using the online booking system

New Online Booking System
The Centre has invested in a new online booking system that should make everyone's life easier.  An email will go out with more details about it and how to use it once it is live.

The big advantages for players are that you will:

• Be able to pay for annual and/or daily membership at the time of booking courts
• Always be presented with an option to pay by card, as we are moving away from PayPal and over to Stripe
• You will be able to book multiple courts more easily
• It will manage annual memberships and your membership information much more easily

The only thing that players need to be aware of is that each player will need to have a unique email address. 

Memberships
Over the past year, with the degree of disruption that COVID has created, we have not asked members with 2019/20 membership to rejoin, as we could not guarantee how much access you would get for your money.  Equally, for our new members, we appreciate that you have paid for membership with similar ambiguity.  We are delighted to inform our members that as of April 12, 2021:

• We are moving to a rolling 12-month membership, so that regardless of when you join, you will benefit from a full 12 months of membership (another advantage of the new online booking system)
• Anyone that joined after March 1, 2020 will be given a 12 month membership starting as of April 12, 2021 and therefore will not have to rejoin until April 12, 2022!
• Anyone that joined before March 1, 2020, will be required to rejoin the Centre when they next wish to book a court, so that could be April 12th or later.

Memberships will be paid for and administered through the new online booking system.

If you paid for Membership after March 1, 2020, you will receive an email from the new system regarding your new log-in details.

Strings 'N' Things
The shop will be available during our opening times.  Please note that:

• You MUST phone ahead to make an appointment - 01494 528441
• Only one customer is permitted in the shop at a time

Well, we knew things could move fast, but we weren't expecting the news on December 19th.

Buckinghamshire, and therefore Badminton Wycombe are now in Tier 4.  As with all indoor sports facilities, we are required to close until further notice.

Yesterday, the government announced that Buckinghamshire, amongst other regions, would be moving to Tier 3 from 00.01 am tomorrow (Saturday, December 19).  Tier 3 places further restrictions on what badminton may be played according to government and Badminton England guidance. Below are the forms of Badminton that the Centre can offer, whilst we remain in Tier 3:

1. Adults may only play singles or doubles with other people from their SAME household / support bubble unless it is a 1-2-1 coaching session from one of the Centre's approved coaches
2. Under 18s may continue to play singles and doubles outside of their household / support bubble as well as receive coaching sessions
3. Under 18s may continue to attend structured group sessions where there is a maximum ratio of 15 players to one coach

Because of these restrictions and the limited number of members who are likely to be able to meet these strict criteria, the Centre has made the following decisions regarding opening times across the Christmas period.

• The Centre will be closing from 11pm this evening (Friday, December 18)
• The Centre will be open December 28, 29 and 30, 9am - 5pm
• The Centre will re-open from Monday, January 4, 2021

Whilst this isn't the news we were wanting to send just before Christmas, we do thank all our members for their patience during these ever changing times.  We do wish you and your families a happy and healthy time over the festive period and a much better 2021.

Badminton Wycombe is celebrating the news that three of our Wycombe performance players have been selected to represent England at the European Team Championships to be held in Kazam Russia, from February 13 to 18.

Congratulations to David Jones (19), Abigail Holden (18) and Freya Patel-Redfern (17).

This great news even made the last edition of the Bucks Free Press.  You can read the article by clicking on the button below.

Possibly the most important change at the Centre recently, as part of our continual review of our duty of care to all users of the Centre, is our investment in an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).  This life-saving piece of kit is located at reception next to the First Aid box.

In the event of an emergency, please alert a member of staff.  Instructions on how to use the AED are located on the wall in reception, as well as on the right-hand side as you enter the badminton hall.  The AED will actually talk a user through CPR and how to use the device.

Bar Serving Times
Whilst the Bar area remains open at all times that the Centre is open, the serving times have been adjusted to help in closing the Centre on time.

As of November 8, 2017 bar serving times are:

Wednesday: 7pm - 10.45pm
Thursday: 7pm - 10.45pm
Friday: 7pm - 10.45pm
Sunday: 7pm - 10.30pm

Drinking up time is 10 minutes and members are reminded to please vacate the premises by 11.20pm at the latest.

End of Sessions
We are politely asking all players to vacate courts at the end of your sessions in a prompt and timely manner.  This helps other users start on time and Centre staff clear the hall at the end of the evening.

Badminton Wycombe staff may turn the lights out on courts that are still being used after the paid-for time, as is common practice in other facilities around the country.  Sufficient lighting will always be provided to show players safely to the exit.

All players welcome, members and non members of the Centre.
Teams need not be connected to a Club or to a League to enter.
All players welcome, members and non-members!
Teams need not be connected to a league or club to enter.

Entering a Team into Summer League 2017

• Teams are to consist of 4 players (2 men and 2 women) with additional men and women on the registration form as reserves.
• Please complete a registration form and pay £10.
• You can download a registration form and pay at reception or enter and pay online.
• The cost per match is £30 per team (£7.50 per player).
• Entries with their registration fee must be received before Wednesday 24th May.
• Matches start week commencing 29th May.
  

Badminton Wycombe was privilidged to enjoy the presence of Team GB's Badminton Men's Doubles 2016 Olympic Bronze medalists Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge on December 15.  Exhibition matches and sessions with Centre Members were enjoyed by over 140 people.  Read the full report for more details and photos from the evening.