A SPORTS centre has been hailed as a success as it celebrates its first birthday.
Wey Valley Tennis Centre has had thousands of visitors since it opened last Decem-ber.
Rob Cole, finance and business manager at the centre, said: “We’ve had an excellent first year with over 9,000 visitors.
“With a particular focus on coaching programmes, we have been engaging with the community and local tennis clubs for pay and play tennis and have recently hosted a number of regional tournaments.”
The centre is the only one of its kind between Bournemouth and Exeter and has served over 4,000 court hours of tennis over the last 12 months.
Various tournaments, competitions, coaching sessions, after school sessions and general pay and play tennis sessions have also taken place there.
Mark Salmon, head of PE at Wey Valley School, said: “The centre has been a fantastic resource giving great opportunity for young people in the school and people in the wider community.
“The facility to play tennis and table tennis all year round is already raising the standard of tennis within the school and increasing the enjoyment of being active, particularly over the winter months.
“It is also great that the community is using the top quality facility after school and on the weekends.”
Kieron and George Morrissey, students at the school and keen tennis players, welcomed the new facility.
“It has given opportunities for all students to play tennis and with it being open throughout the winter months it has really increased the performances and abilities of students playing tennis,” said Kieron.
“It’s amazing how many students come from other schools and also the general public to use the indoor courts.”
George, who trains junior tennis players with his brother, said: “It is a fantastic facility and has put tennis on the map in Weymouth.”
In autumn the facility received the Clubmark Award in recognition of providing ‘a quality tennis development programme, coaching programmes and the excellent administration and support received from the Redlands Community Sports Hub’.
James Deem, of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “Wey Valley School has quickly become a strategically important indoor centre in the South West in its first year.
“It provides people in West Dorset with the opportunity to access indoor tennis at an affordable rate as well as the chance for young people to train indoors and have local indoor competition opportunities.
“I very much look forward to continue working with the tennis playing community in the area to see this excellent facility continue to be a success.”