Local Park Tennis Courts Set For Renovation

Swale Borough Council and the LTA have today (Monday 3rd July) announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Swale.

In total, park tennis courts at Milton Recreation Ground and Kind George’s Playing Fields in Sittingbourne, will be renovated, with additional investment of £124,578.54 helping provide quality facilities for the local community. 

The project is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain and open the sport up to many more people.

The LTA say: "park tennis courts are vital in giving children and adults the opportunity to get active and benefit their physical and mental health. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly important to opening the sport up to a wider range of people. This investment will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems".

In addition to investment of £124,578.54 from the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, £32,413 will also be invested by Swale Borough Council.

Swale Borough Council and local tennis providers will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activity across the park sites.

This will include weekly organised free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience where equipment is provided, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or their own racket. Local Tennis Leagues will also provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through local competition. 

All courts and sessions at all sites will be available to book online via the LTA website making it far easier to find and book a court or activity. 

Work on sites is expected to start this summer and be completed by early autumn 2023.

Cllr Richard Palmer, chair of the community committee at Swale Council, told SFM News: “The refurbishment of Milton Rec and King George’s tennis courts offers a great opportunity for local people of all ages to get out to have some healthy fun. The weekly free sessions will give more people the chance to try the sport and meet new people without having to worry about the cost of equipment. This investment in local sports facilities is very much welcomed, and I’m looking forward to seeing the courts being enjoyed for years to come.”

Julie Porter, chief operating officer at the LTA, told SFM News: “We are delighted to be working with Swale Borough Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active. This investment is part of the UK Government and LTA’s Parks Tennis Project and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come. We will also be working closely with Swale Borough Council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court and open up our sport to many more people.”