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November 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 55Autumn%u2019s almost over, and Winter is on the horizon. The chilly days and nights will turn colder, and we may get snow, but hopefully, for now, the only %u2018precipitation%u2019 we can expect is in the form of leaves and rain, which, on average, it does for one day in three during November. This is expected to increase, though, as climate change takes eff ect. Increased temperatures mean a change in weather patterns, and that will aff ect us all, including CRMK.Hot or cold, there are always issues. If hot, the CRMK metal security door expands and catches on its frame, making it diffi cult to open and close. Conversely, when cold, it can get draughty despite draught-proof strips and one of those material draught excluders. This situation is just one of the ongoing considerations we have to think about. In an ideal world we would perhaps change the door, but money is an issue as we are surviving only by our fi ngernails, and we cannot justify the expense at this moment in time.Our fi nancial situation means that we have to look carefully at what we spend members%u2019 subscriptions on. That said, there are some things we have to spend our money on apart from the running costs of the radio station. Security would be one, and operational computers would be another. In short, when we have to spend, we do!You could say it never rains but it pours when it comes to maintenance at our studio as things seem to happen all at once. At present we have an issue with our instant hot water tap which has failed. A cheap replacement, for example, costs at least two presenters%u2019 monthly subs but what quality are those cheap taps? It was also reported that a rainwater downpipe has come apart and its brackets have broken. Once again, hot and cold weather can cause shrinkage in these plastic products and make the brackets, in particular, brittle over time. Almost certainly, someone will be raiding their garage to see if replacement brackets can be found at zero cost to CRMK. At the time of writing we are awaiting a quote for a more serious faulty equipment matter. When received, a decision will have to be made!General and minor maintenance jobs such as replacing defective cables, touching up paintwork, buying fl owers for the garden and so forth are regular additional expenses, albeit relatively low in cost. These are generally covered by Board members. This benevolence is helping CRMK survive as costs continue to rise. It should not be this way, but our only regular income is through presenters%u2019 subscriptions and one sponsor.Climate change, increased costs and maintenance %u2013 no matter what it is, CRMK will try its best to maintain a working studio for anyone of any age to use. Could that be you? If so, please get in touch, come and see us and give it a go while we are still here!www.crmk.co.ukRain, Repairs and ReplacementsOLNEY TENNIS CLUB CRMK RADIOCHAMPIONSHIP FINALSFollowing a busy summer of early round matches, the Club Championship Finals took place in September, featuring some extremely competitive matches in front of a good crowd of very appreciative members and friends. Men%u2019s and Ladies%u2019 Singles events took place, along with Men%u2019s, Ladies%u2019 and Mixed Doubles, with Plate matches for those who had lost in the fi rst round of the events. Congratulations to all the winners.Junior Club Night has been running with an enthusiastic band of juniors attending. This is a supervised session for Juniors, so why not join us from 4 pm every Friday? There is a small charge for non-members, but they are always welcome.The Box Leagues are now underway with Singles, Doubles and Vets Doubles Matches taking place. The Autumn/Winter inter-club matches in the MK and Beds Vets leagues have restarted %u2013 results of which will be reported in our next News.Our courts are available for booking by the public. This can be done by visiting our website www.olneytennis.club and following the instructions on the booking link. If you would like to know more about membership of the Club or the coaching we off er, please go to our website www.olneytennis.club, where you can fi nd all the membership details, or contact our membership secretary at otcmembmership@gmail.comEngland Women%u2019s Captain Leah Williamson visited her home town of Newport Pagnell FC to cheer on her brother Jacob and the rest of the team.LOCAL LEGENDLEAHNovember 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 55