Dear Sir, A recent letter invited “other people” to write in and share their experiences of Aycliffe Badminton Club. I would like to add mine if I may. I went along one Friday night in 2015 and was immediately made to feel welcome. Whilst it is true that after 6 visits the club will decide whether to ask you to join or not, this is  due to Badminton England rules on insurance and it is important to maintain a good night for all as the club only uses 4 courts and doesn’t really have room for raw beginners. There are however other opportunities in the area for players starting out to get involved and learn the basics before joining a competitive club – maybe this would be an option for ‘PK’. It was not long before I was playing in Ladies and Mixed Doubles matches against other clubs in the area. We even got promoted to the “A” Division in the local League at the end of my first season – not a bad achievement after not playing for years! During my first year, the rest of my family joined the club after hearing the positive experience I had, and the friendly welcome received, getting them off their chairs and active again – It’s quite a family night. I feel it is such a shame that ‘PK’ feels the need to negatively affect a club that is run solely on volunteers trying to build a community activity that provides both health and social benefits to the local area. I suggest instead that positive encouragement of any organisation trying to promote these benefits should be actively welcomed. We currently have very few ladies down to club nights, perhaps due to negative comments such as those of ‘PK’ discouraging them from trying something new. So, any sporty ladies (or gents) out there get yourself along as it is Newton Aycliffe’s only Badminton Club, and we need to support it in every way. Club’s newest team player