The West Beach tennis courts in Whitstable have been awarded Beacon status by Kent LTA. Beacon status is the LTA’s accreditation scheme to recognise that a quality, affordable programme of tennis is being provided for the local community.
The courts at West Beach are owned by the city council and run by tennis concessionaire Kate Parker, who took over the site three months ago. There are five courts, and Kate works with a number of LTA-qualified coaches to arrange training sessions and other activities. These include mini tennis on Saturday mornings for five to 10-year olds, teens’ tennis on Saturday afternoons and cardio tennis sessions for adults between midday and 1pm on Tuesdays.
The coaches can also be hired for private training sessions and courts can be booked by members of the public to pay and play. The council’s Executive member for sport, Cllr Darren Ellis, said: “For Kate to achieve LTA Beacon status at West Beach so soon after taking the courts on is something to be very proud of.
“Sport is riding high at the moment off the back of our Olympics success, especially in tennis with Andy Murray winning a gold medal. Hopefully that will inspire young people in particular to take up the sport, and to use the excellent facilities and coaching available at West Beach.”
Kent Tennis Development Officer Harriett Izzard comments “Kate and her team of coaches have made a fantastic start at bringing tennis to the community. The programme offers a well structured coaching programme that caters for all ages and abilities at an affordable rate. This is the start of a fantastic community focused tennis programme that will no doubt be an asset to grass roots tennis in the area.”