Sport has ground to a halt around the country in light of the coronavirus outbreak, as government guidelines are implemented.

But while everyone talks about the impact on major sports, such as football, rugby and cricket, it is on community clubs at the lower levels that Covid-19 is taking the biggest toll.

Carlisle Squash Club is one such venue, who, following official advice, closed on Friday, without knowing for certain what the future holds.

Club manager, Ronnie Bell, said the club has also had to suspend monthly membership payments for the foreseeable future, with no one having any inkling of when it may reopen.

"We closed because of the government guidelines, so we had no choice really," he said.

"The problem is how long this is going to be for. We're ok to get by for a while, because we're a well run club and we've got a bit put aside for situations like this, but eventually, if we're in this same position 12 months from now, it may be different.

"We're lucky, in a way, that all other clubs are closed at the same time, unlike during the floods, when it was just us, so this time, we're all in the same boat."

But with around 650 current members, the impact is likely to be significant for the club.

And while Bell is confident they will eventually reopen, he admitted he has been "overwhelmed" by the loyalty and support of its patrons.

"We've got a very loyal membership at the squash club.

"Already, in light of the email we sent out about suspending payments, we've been overwhelmed at the amount of members who have offered to pay through it.

"They offered to carry on their membership, realising that it's not our fault that we've had to close. So from that point of view, we feel really, really lucky with the way our members have handled it.

"But we thought it was only fair to suspend all memberships, as it didn't seem right to have some paying, and some not."

Despite some sports putting timescales on their suspensions, the truth is that no one knows when things will return to normal.

It must be hoped for Carlisle Squash Club, and others like them, that they can survive through it, and continue the service they provide for the city's community.