© 2005 -
Blackthorns has a policy of continual improvement to the facilities available to its members.
Some of the projects may be major, others small. But all help to ensure that Blackthorns continues to develop over the years.
We strive to change with the times and listen to our members and provide the facilities they ask for.
August 2005 -
Blackthorns biggest recent project is an extension to the clubhouse that has enabled the current facilities to double in size, especially welcome on party nights. The new room includes a disabled persons toilet with wheelchair access and baby changing facilities. A fantastic fireplace (see below) provides a focal feature and a welcoming atmosphere.
A new sign has been put up to mark our growing Crazy Golf course, we now have 12 holes to test us. A challenge to all who wish to take it on. Well done Eric, keep up the good work.
Although the pool was heated it was expensive to run, so this year we have added a heat exchanger. This means the pool is cheaper to heat and therefore can be opened earlier and closed later in the season. It also means a more constant temperature throughout the year, much to the pleasure of our members.
The Sauna is now complete and has been used for the first time. It is a commercial type sauna and has surpassed our expectations. A big thank you goes out to all those who helped build it. Now we have a reason to look forward to the winter months too.
Members have access to this whenever they choose. There is a small fee and it takes around 20 mins to reach its temperature.
The main club house has been completely re-
This will ensure it not only looks better, but will also make it much better protected from the weather and will extend its life span.
The Patio outside the Pavilion has been extended to almost 3 times its size and was built by a team of our members. Where was once a lawned area is now also paving slabs, giving us a larger, level area to lay out our tables & chairs. A fantastic area for socialising, especially as its South facing and catches the sun. It gives us more room for our barbeque nights and we’ve even held a social with live music playing outside: the “Tacky Tigers” thoroughly enjoyed their outdoor performance as did we!
One of our members set himself the task of building a veranda for the Club’s Caravan.
As well as catching the last of the evening sun, with a ramp as well as steps, it allows easier access to the van, a great asset to many members and visitors.
Spring 2015
The club is pleased to say it has just spent several thousand pounds replacing the hot water system boiler that feeds the showers and basins in the clubhouse.
Not only will it be more economical to use than our tired, old one but it will perform much better and there should no longer be any concern, even on the busiest of days, that you might end up with the water running cold on you!
We strive to supply our members with the standard of facilities they have come to expect!
Swimming Pool Refurbishment Completed!
The work on the swimming pool has now been completed and it is open for use again as soon as the warm weather arrives. More work than was expected was found necessary and has now all been completed. The temperature of the water is slowly increasing and several hardy souls have already been in!
he old liner has gone, the steps have been replaced along with the
skimmers, necessary alterations have been made to the drains and the pipe work.
It’s pretty much a new pool!
A new winter cover is now on order (Summer ‘18)
Summer 2018
These fence posts are pretty new! Home grown and hand made: how could you improve on that?!
August 2019 and the Ladies by the Clubhouse have been refurbished with new tiled floor, new cubicles, basins and a state of the art mirror which has a hand swipe activated frame of light.
Summer 2020
This year has been like no other year before and it has changed daily life at Blackthorns.
We had no idea Covid-
We were happy to be open in the summer albeit with strict procedures to follow, to keep us all safe, and we were able to enjoy some glorious sunshine for a while. Sadly the facilities were restricted and we missed having our monthly socials and wonderful meals. All sports events were put on hold too. At lease we had the pool open and the grounds were as spectacular as ever. It was good to have some safe, open space to enjoy.
As we entered Autumn we had everchanging rules to follow, such as vacating the clubhouse at 10pm but, in November, we were thrown back into a Lockdown.
Essential maintenance has had to continue but so many other jobs were put on hold. We are hoping these 4 wks will slow the spread of Covid and we will be open again very soon.
We have some “sleeping policemen” to install on our road, which will remove the need for the barriers, making it easier to drive round, but still be reminded of the speed limit of 5mph. Photos to follow!