Local park tennis courts transformed
Major improvement work has been completed on three sets of tennis courts in a joint project between the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), supported by Tennis Wales.
Facilities at Penarth Athletic Fields, Wenvoe, and Millwood parks have all been comprehensively upgraded, providing users with high-quality tennis facilities.
It comes as part of a £121,000 investment secured by the Council and delivered by the LTA through the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation funded Park Tennis Project. This follows a Council and Sports Wales investment of £130,000 to transform the Romilly Park tennis courts last year.
The six courts refurbished across the three parks have been completely resurfaced and repainted, with new nets and posts installed.
They feature a gate access system that makes it easier for residents to find and a book a court – meaning there is no need to wait or face uncertainty over court availability.
Council Leader Lis Burnett, Cllr Gwyn John, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Wellbeing, and Tennis Wales Chief Executive Simon Johnson recently visited Penarth to see the results.
Cllr John said: “The Council is committed to providing the best possible facilities for its residents to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle.
“This objective is shared by both Tennis Wales and Sport Wales who have played an important part in the refurbishment of tennis courts in these locations.
“It is hoped the work will help increase the number of people regularly playing tennis, while offering them a safe, modern environment in which to enjoy the sport.”
The gate access system helps to manage bookings and creates a safe space for people to play whilst deterring court vandalism.
The courts will cost £4.50 per hour for casual users, while households and students can access annual passes to the courts for £39 and £19, respectively, ensuring low one-off annual fees for 12 months play. The courts will operate on a non-profit basis, with money reinvested into maintenance and any surplus used to fund tennis activity across the Vale.
Alongside the investment, Vale of Glamorgan Council and Tennis Wales will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activity across the park sites. This will include weekly organised free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience. Equipment is provided, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or their own racket. Local tennis leagues will also provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through competition.
An extensive coaching programme will also operate at Romilly Park courtesy of Vale Tennis Academy and the other parks will be advertising for a coaching operator in the near future.
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “After months of hard work, we’re delighted to see park tennis courts across Vale of Glamorgan officially back open to the public, and in better shape than ever.
“Public tennis courts are such vital facilities for getting active and we want as many people as possible, of all ages and abilities, to pick up a racket and enjoy playing tennis. Thanks to this investment the sport will be opened up to more players, for years to come.”
The Park Project is a £30million nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain, and open up the sport to many more people. This investment will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life. All courts and sessions at these parks are available to book online via the LTA website.