Sir Bernard Lovell School in Bristol saw years of hard work in developing their sports facilities come to fruition on Thursday, when they officially opened their new Sports Centre to pupils and public alike.
The centre includes six new macadam tennis courts, three with floodlighting to extend playing hours, and a new club house with upgraded facilities, as well as a new 3G football pitch that completes the facilities.
The Sports Centre was officially opened by special guest Ian Holloway, former footballer at Bristol Rovers and now manager of Championship side Blackpool.
The tennis courts and clubhouse, which were a buzz of activity on the day of their official opening, were made possible thanks to a £150,000 grant from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), with support from Sport England, towards the total cost of £250,000.
The Open Day held on Saturday following the official unveiling, offered free coaching on the brand new courts for children of all ages.
Julie Jones, Tennis Development Manager for Avon and Wiltshire, said: “The tennis centre now has fantastic first class facilities, which will help them in their eventual aim to become a Beacon Site, as well as in establishing a hub of sporting activity for both the local community and the school.”
Facility Project Manager Colin Corline added: “The team at Sir Bernard Lovell’s have done a fantastic job in building the new facility for local people and pupils alike to benefit from.
“We have been undergoing work towards creating new sporting facilities for seven or eight years now, and are thrilled that a school with little or no sporting outlets has been transformed into a place of opportunities.
“The new Tennis Club will have a huge impact. It will increase participation in the sport that wasn’t even there before in both the school and the local community.”
The funding has been provided as part of British Tennis’ facilities strategy which has received substantial investment from Sport England. This makes an important contribution to the drive to increase tennis opportunities for people to participate, compete and get access to coaching at all levels of the game in communities nationwide.
Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, said: “It’s vital that public funding for sport goes into facilities that meet the highest standards, are welcoming, and cater for everyone. That’s how we’re going to get more people using them every day.
“The new facilities at Sir Bernard Lovell’s Tennis Club will offer even more accessibility for its members and encourage more people from the local community to get involved in the sport.”
The LTA makes financial support available through its resources and ensures investments will deliver the maximum return for British tennis through more people playing and more hours on the court across Britain. There will be an increase in the number and standard of facilities nationwide which will be available to the whole community at a reasonable, affordable cost.
To find a playing partner, a local court or coach, register at: www.allplaytennis.com