The City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association have today announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Lancaster.
New life will be breathed into two park tennis venues at Palatine Recreation Ground in Lancaster and Happy Mount Park in Morecambe.
The £79,632 renovation will ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.
The project is part of a nationwide investment delivered by the LTA and supported by the LTA Tennis Foundation, 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 for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.
Lancaster City Council will also work with the LTA to organise weekly, free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience - with equipment provided - meaning anyone can play tennis without needing to find someone else to play with or have their own racket. Local Tennis Leagues will also provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through local competition.
Work on both sites is expected to start in January 2025 and be completed by May 2025.
Lancaster City Councillor Joanne Ainscough, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environmental Services, said: “The investment is fantastic news for our district. Parks are vital spaces in our community to support health and wellbeing and the Parks Tennis Project will be a much-welcomed enhancement.
‘’We are looking forward to working with the LTA on the project, which will enable local people to gain access to refurbished courts, play tennis and get active.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Lancaster City Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active.
‘’This investment will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come. We will also be working closely with Lancaster City Council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court, and open up our sport to many more people.”
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