Pictured: The Mayor of Swale Cllr Ben Martin - pic courtesty of Ian Morris
Locals were giving tennis a try, ahead of the Wimbledon finals on Saturday (13th July), at the newly refurbished tennis courts in Milton Recreation Ground at a free launch event.
The courts have been fully refurbished thanks to a partnership between Swale Borough Council and the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) which included the installation of new nets and a full resurfacing and repainting of the courts. Fences and gate access technology has also been installed to make it easier for players to find, book and get on the courts, whilst helping maintain their new high standards for future generations.
These refurbishments were thanks to a £124,578.54 investment by the UK government and the LTA Tennis Foundation, and an additional injection of £32,413 from the council. The park tennis courts at King George V Playing Fields in Sittingbourne also went through extensive improvement works.
The investment forms part of the LTA’s Park Tennis Project, through which thousands of tennis courts across Great Britain are being transformed for the benefit of local communities, as part of a £30 million investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation.
The LTA and Swale Borough Council will work together to offer free tennis sessions providing regular opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and play. This will include weekly free tennis sessions, organised by volunteers, with equipment being provided. Local Tennis Leagues will also be setup to give people the opportunity to get involved in friendly and social local competitions. Frequent players can purchase season tickets allowing daily access to the courts for £40 per year. Casual users can book a court for £6 per hour. Funds raised will ensure that the courts are maintained at their new high standard for years to come.
You can now book a session for either location online on the LTA’s website: https://www.lta.org.uk/book
Cllr Richard Palmer, the chair of the Community and Leisure Committee at Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “With Wimbledon putting a spotlight on tennis, this event was a fantastic opportunity for families to try out the sport for free, get active and socialise. We, alongside the LTA, have put a lot of effort and resources into refurbishing these tennis courts so they can once again become valued community assets. With this investment we have been able to transform completely unplayable public spaces into something we can all be proud of and use to their fullest. Keeping active is not only great for your physical health, but also your mental wellbeing, so having places like these tennis courts available for people to get active is important to us. The new fees will help us maintain these courts for years to come, but we are still committed to providing access to the sport to as many people as we can. That is why we will be organising free sessions on the weekend, so everyone can have access to these wonderful courts, get active and socialise without the need for any equipment.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, told SFM News: “After months of hard work, we’re delighted to see park tennis courts across Swale officially back open to the public, and in better shape than ever. Public tennis courts are such vital facilities for getting active and we want as many people as possible, of all ages and abilities, to pick up a racket and enjoy playing tennis. Thanks to this investment the sport will be opened up to more players, for years to come.”
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