Four newly renovated tennis courts at Rutland Sports Park in Ilkeston, Derbyshire were officially opened at a Club Open Day.
The launch was attended by Jessica Lee, MP for Erewash and Jennifer Hulls, the Mayor for the Sandacre South Ward. The official ribbon cutting to open the courts was made by Tony Buck, Club Secretary at Stanton TC, who will use the courts as the new permanent home of the club.
The courts that were previously derelict, were renovated thanks to a grant of £63,083 from the Lawn Tennis Association.
Club member and project manager Mark Hancock said: "We are delighted to have had the opportunity to bring a wonderful facility back to the town and to get more people taking part in tennis.
"Our vision has always been to provide opportunities for the whole community to get involved with sport and the newly-renovated courts will help us try to increase participation in tennis in the area. It will also enable the expansion of the coaching programme that currently takes place at the indoor tennis centre.
"So, with the backing of the Lawn Tennis Association, we now have the chance to realise what we've been working towards for such a long time.
"Both the association and Erewash Borough Council have been incredibly supportive and we are looking forward to working with them in the coming months to make it a great success"
Stanton Tennis Club was established in the 1930s and was originally the tennis section of the Stanton Ironworks Sports and Social Club. The non-profit making organisation is now the largest tennis club in Ilkeston and offers tennis for all ages and abilities, as well as a programme of professional coaching. Along with members using them, the club also plan to allow some public access to the courts.
Paul Sheard, who is the Lawn Tennis Association Tennis Development Manager for Derbyshire and Leicestershire, said: "We are delighted that we have finally completed the project to renovate the outdoor courts at Rutland Sports Park.
"We recognised a number of years ago the huge potential that exists at the site with the indoor tennis centre. But we needed to bring the outdoor courts back to good condition to make it a flourishing overall venue.
"I would like to thank thank club members Mark Hancock and Tony Buck for all the hard work they have put into the project. It's taken a few years to finally get there but we now have some quality outdoor tennis courts and a vibrant tennis club for the people of Ilkeston."