New Mills Tennis Club recently welcomed Robert Largan MP courtside as part of a drive to encourage more people to play tennis, following Government investment of £22 million in public tennis courts across Britain.
Together with an investment from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) of £8.5 million, this will see thousands of public park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of their local communities.
On the back of Great Britain’s success at the US Open—with Emma Raducanu, Joe Salisbury, Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett bringing home titles—Robert as a tennis club member in Glossop is encouraging people of all ages to get involved with the sport
This presents a unique opportunity to capitalise on the renewed public interest in tennis and, build on the legacy of the Murray family over recent years.
New Mills is a friendly LTA-registered tennis club, the age of whose 100 members ranges from 6–60+. All abilities are welcome: from absolute beginners to competitive players.
New Mills Tennis Club has:
• 3 Tarmac courts, playable throughout the year;
• Social tennis sessions on Sunday mornings, Wednesdays and Fridays;
• Informal sessions for families and juniors, including short tennis and coaching tips on Sundays between 10 am and 11 am;
• Monthly social doubles tennis tournaments;
• Singles ladder for male and female players;
• Teams in the Northeast Cheshire League and the East Cheshire mixed winter league;
• Adult and junior group and individual coaching; and
• School holiday camps provided by First Advantage Tennis.
There are no public courts in New Mills, but their courts have high availability during the week and can be booked for pay-and-play through the LTA’s Rally system.
In collaboration with Youth Matters, disadvantaged children from New Mills will be coached after school next spring by First Advantage Tennis through a Queen’s Club Foundation grant. The Club will make its courts available without charge.
Local authorities own park tennis court facilities, which are vital community assets that can help widen the physical and mental health benefits of being active through tennis.
There are currently 1.7 million adults and children who play tennis in a local park every year.
Whilst the popularity of the sport is flourishing, with yearly tennis participation growing 8 per cent last year despite the long periods of lockdown, there are many areas where park courts remain worn and unappealing.
Currently, across England, Wales, and Scotland, around 45 per cent of park courts are categorised as being in poor, very poor or unplayable condition, preventing many from picking up a racket and getting active.
Critically, half of the unplayable venues are in the most socially deprived areas of the country.
Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented:
“It was good to visit New Mills Tennis Club this morning and talk about their plans to improve the facilities.
“It’s a lovely community club with three courts and a junior section, right next to the cricket club and the bowling club.
“They’re always looking for new members, and the courts are available to be booked by non-members too, so please do consider popping down and giving it a go.
“I’m pleased that the Government recently announced a £22 million fund to invest in local public tennis court facilities, which will hopefully benefit thousands of tennis courts across the country.
“I play tennis, very badly, at my local club—Pyegrove Tennis Club—in Glossop too!”
Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the LTA, said:
“This programme will be transformational for public tennis facilities in Britain. Alongside the money that the LTA is putting in, this additional Government investment will allow us to repair and refurbish dilapidated park courts across the country.
“We are also committed to ensuring sustainable community tennis programmes support investment, so courts see a real growth in usage, and local authorities can continue to invest in their courts over the long term.”
