St Agnes Tennis Club can now provide more opportunity for budding tennis players in the community following the resurfacing and floodlighting of two courts and the addition of two mini courts.
The work was made possible thanks to a £15,000 grant from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), with support from Sport England.
St Agnes Tennis Club has worked hard to reach out to children and adults alike and with more courts and mini courts now available they are encouraging more people to pick up a racket.
Georgina Loosemoore, LTA Tennis Development Manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: “St Agnes Tennis Club is a prime example of a club aiming high. This weekend they have not only opened superior facilities but also by achieving the Clubmark status have proved themselves as a top class facility both on and off court.
“The LTA investment towards the improvements at the club will wholly support grassroots tennis in Cornwall enabling more people to become involved in the game of tennis. With the support of the LTA the Club are introducing tennis to a wider audience through school links and an evolving programme.
“Praise must go to Ian Lovering, Club Coach, previously a top class Cornish player, whose enthusiasm engages and encourages children and adults alike. He and the St Agnes committee have developed a fantastic programme of coached and social activity at the club and maintained a community club for all.”
St Agnes also received ClubMark accreditation from the LTA following their continued efforts to achieve the highest standard of Club management.
ClubMark provides places where tennis is played with the tools and resources they need to help more people play tennis, delivering a quality on court programme, operating in line with best practice.
Club Coach Ian Lovering added: “We’ve got a strong group of around 65 junior players coming through the club on Saturday’s in particular and a group of between 25 and 30 young players who will now be able to make the most of the mini courts.
“We have a growing schools programme too and we hope that numbers will continue to grow and the local community will make the most of the courts and facilities now on offer here at St Agnes.”
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 St Agnes 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 out where your nearest court is, visit: www.lta.org.uk/playtennis