- Surrey Heath Borough Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) agree partnership to breathe new life into local park tennis courts in Surrey Heath
- The project will see more than £184,000 of investment across Surrey Heath’s public parks
- Investment comes from the UK government and LTA Tennis Foundation’s Park Tennis Project, being delivered by the LTA
Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) and the LTA have confirmed a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Surrey Heath. In total, three park tennis venues will be renovated, with investment of nearly £185,000 helping ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.
The park venues being renovated are Watchetts Recreation Ground, Mytchett Recreation Ground and Frimley Green Recreation Ground. Work to be completed included resurfacing all court surfaces and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems. This technology has been successfully trialled at London Road Recreation Ground courts in Camberley.
Alongside this investment of £184,815.83, SHBC and 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: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/book-a-tennis-court/
Surrey Heath Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community Cllr Rebecca Jennings-Evans said: “I am thrilled that this project to redevelop a large number of our tennis courts is getting underway, and we are grateful to the Lawn Tennis Association for the extra funding which makes it possible.
“Improving our tennis courts at Frimley Green, Mytchett and Watchetts will support our commitment to improving access to quality sporting facilities, and help achieve our aim of healthier, more active communities. I look forward to seeing the finished results.”
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 up the sport to many more 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.
Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits to participants. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical to opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath 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.”
Work on sites is anticipated to start this spring and be completed by summer 2023.Fancy a match? Visit the Tennis in the Park page for more information and how to access SHBC’s courts: https://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/tennisinthepark
