The players at Stroud Tennis Club are a hardy lot.

They play all the year round come rain, wind and shine.

“It has to be very wet to cancel one of our sessions,” said chairman Andrew Cameron-Tillett. “We play in all weather. We play every Sunday morning and we play Tuesday evenings in the summer.”

It means that it’s quite possible that this year while everyone else is out doing last-minute Christmas Eve shopping – Christmas Day is on a Monday – some of the keener members of the club will be swinging from the hip down at the club at Stratford Park.

“Yes, it is possible,” laughed Andrew, “we might have a glass of mulled wine and some mince pies.”

Andrew, who is in his first year as chairman – “We usually serve for two years,” he said – has been a member of the club since the 1990s along with his wife Gaye.

The club, which has 20 to 30 members, has taken the decision not to play competitive tennis.

“We’re a social group who play the game for fun,” said Andrew, 70. “Gloucestershire is a very large county and we didn’t want all the travelling.

“We’re a very happy adult social club and we’ve been going for a long time.”

They certainly have with Andrew believing that the club were formed in the 1930s when Stratford Park was developed.

Normally when the members meet up they play mixed doubles and Andrew usually partners Gaye.

“We get on the court,” he laughed, “we never fall out.”

And who wins when they play singles?

“That depends,” he chuckled, “there are no guarantees!”