Penarth Lawn Tennis Club, one of the oldest tennis clubs in Britain, has celebrated the biggest development in its history, with the opening of new floodlit courts.
The club on Rectory Road first opened its doors in 1884, the year of the first ladies championships at Wimbledon.
The club has a past of highs and lows - the highs include hosting Welsh Championships for many years on its grass courts, and the lows of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when the club faced closure.
But after 20 years of dogged commitment from club members, Penarth LTC has grown into a popular family tennis club which now boasts six state-of-the-art floodlit courts and a new bar/clubhouse, over-looking the courts and the sea.
The opening ceremony and launch party saw over 300 people enjoy the festivities and soak up the atmosphere.
ITV Wales’s James Wright brought the sunshine to the club while reporting the weather from courtside. After an interview with club chairman Simon Elias which featured during the evening’s 6pm news the ITV Wales weatherman also challenged some of the club’s younger members to a game of Mini Tennis.
The day began with free tennis sessions for children, organised by VALE Tennis Academy’s coaching team throughout the morning. Director of VALE Tennis Academy, Rob Cunningham, said “It has been such a joy to see so many people using the courts today. Myself and the team have been at the club for over seven years now and have been eagerly awaiting these developments. Now that they have been completed, the future of the club is looking even more exciting and the true potential of the club is now tangible.”
At lunchtime, visitors indulged in a hog roast, kindly donated by Ring-a-Roast, and various on-court activities.
The focus of the day was the grand opening of the new courts. With club champions dating back to the 1960s in attendance, the ceremony reflected on the club’s prestigious past while looking forward to an exciting future.
Members and non-members alike were then invited to step onto the courts for the first time to take part in a free interactive demonstration of the increasingly popular Cardio Tennis, a tennis-based fitness class to music that takes place every Monday and Thursday at the club. An exhibition match was played while the crowds enjoyed afternoon tea in the sunshine. A live jazz band provided an ideal transition into the evening party, which culminated in a firework display.
Long-serving club chairman, Simon Elias, said: “The club has shown that when you get the formula right, people of all ages and abilities will readily participate in all manner of tennis activities and have a very good time. It is thanks to the efforts of the club committee and members over the last decade that we have been able to reach this goal.”
Funding for this huge development project was obtained from Tennis Wales and Sport Wales. Simon Clarke, Tennis Development Manager at Tennis Wales, said: “What an awesome day! This is the culmination of lots of hard work by the committee, volunteers and coaching team and is just the start of big things to come. Tennis Wales aims to help clubs who demonstrate a strong vision, adhere to Tennis Clubmark and have a forward-looking business plan.”
The club is offering a 10% membership discount for any new members who join before the end of July. If you are interested in joining the club you can find more information at www.pltc.org.uk
The coaching programme at PLTC is managed by head coach Rob Cunningham’s VALE Tennis Academy. Tennis and multisport camps will run throughout the summer holidays, as well as Saturday morning coaching and individual lessons. For more information or to book onto a session please visit www.valetennisacademy.co.uk or call Rob on 07909 987359.