The LTA and Tennis Foundation have announced that Bruce Castle Park in Tottenham has been awarded ‘Beacon’ status as part of the AEGON Parks Tennis programme.
To celebrate this achievement local companies and over 500 members of the community came together bank holiday Monday (May 07) for a free sport and music festival which included tennis, basketball, football, athletics and zumba.
The club is one of a number of sites across the country to have achieved the national accolade, which recognises the best community-focussed facilities offering free and affordable tennis as part of the AEGON Parks Tennis programme.
To achieve this status, facilities must also offer access to quality, affordable coaching as well as regular competitions for all ages and abilities.
Haringey Tennis Development Officer, Siwan Stephens along with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation have been instrumental in the development of tennis in the Haringey area and continue to work hard to make a big difference to the community.
Siwan said: “Over the last year White Hart Lane Tennis Club and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation have built up a low cost coaching programme for all ages. A year ago most local people had never even picked up a racket. The club is now thriving with more than 200 British Tennis members. We hope the club will continue to expand and become central to the community.”
Robby Sukhdeo, Pavilion Tennis Manager who received the plaque on behalf of Bruce Castle Park added: “All the right ingredients are here to make this venture as successful as Albert Road. The Pavilion, once it takes over the building and ball courts, will continue to offer affordable sport, offer a quality cafe with reasonable prices and engage with all aspects of the community to make it into a vibrant ‘hub’ thanks to all the partners involved.”
Tennis Foundation Executive Director Geoff Newton presented the official award on the day and he said: “It’s important we recognise the hard work being done at tennis venues like Bruce Castle to get the whole community engaged in sport. I think we’ve seen here that tennis can bring people together and there is a version of tennis that suits the whole family.”
Jemima Lee, Tennis Development Manager for Middlesex added: “The atmosphere throughout the day was amazing. It was wonderful to see so many members of the local community picking up a racket, taking part in mini tennis, cardio and having fun.”
The AEGON Parks Tennis programme aims to increase community access to tennis in parks and communities nationwide. Delivered by the LTA and Tennis Foundation, AEGON Parks Tennis is a key programme in British tennis’ drive to increase participation and grow tennis at all levels. The long-term aim is to have an AEGON Parks Tennis site acting as a centre of community tennis excellence in each of the local authority areas in Britain.
To find a playing partner, a local court or coach, register at www.allplaytennis.com