The first milestone this week was the kitchen has been tested in earnest with training food prepared, cooked and served for the first time since it was extended. The extra space, the new (and refurbished) worktops, the whizzy extractor and re-plumbed sinks and dishwasher have all been appreciated by the catering team. Though there are a couple of minor jobs to complete, the kitchen is now gearing up for the first pre-match lunch on 3rd September...

The second milestone this week was the relocation of the platform lift from outside to the newly formed lift shaft. No-one was more delighted than me that it fitted perfectly! This makes the clubhouse truly accessible for everyone.

The third milestone is that all of the new flooring has been fitted with the exception of the ladies' WC and the entrance lobby on the ground floor. The cellar ante-room has been painted, the blue carpet has been matched upstairs and a hard-wearing lino has been fitted everywhere else. Outside, the paving slabs leading from the carpark to the front door have been laid.

Still to finish are the gents' WCs (though the tiling looks great), some ironmongery is still to be installed, ductwork for the showers is to be re-routed and the ladies' WCs are a work-in-progress. The site also needs a great big clean up! So, for this week-end, the downstairs WCs will be in operation for players and spectators alike.

Behind the scenes, there are a multitude of small jobs being done to get the rest of the clubhouse up to speed for the start of the season. If anyone has a couple of hours to spare, I would love to hear from you. We have a small working party fitting data cables and cabinets on Monday, the shop to set up one evening next week, tiling and decorating of the medical room progressing during the week and the Friday Club will be busy! Feel free to pop in to the clubhouse or contact me.

The transformation is nearly complete and we will be signing the extension back from the builders during the course of next week. What fun!

Bob the builder (aka Hon Sec)