Dover District Council is welcoming news that two tennis courts in Connaught Park in Dover are set to be refurbished with funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) Tennis Foundation.
The refurbishment in the popular Dover park will include a colourful resurfacing, new posts, new netting and perimeter fencing, and a new entrance gate with key code system. The project is being funded by a grant of £57,500 from the LTA Tennis Foundation, as part of a nationwide investment to refurbish public tennis courts and open the sport to many more people.
An access-controlled gate with an online booking system (now standard at many other tennis courts) will ensure residents and groups can reserve their slots before they turn up to play. This will benefit players at peak times, maximise court use, and help to keep the ongoing maintenance of the courts to a high standard.
All income generated from charges will be invested back into the courts for future maintenance and refurbishment as part of the funding terms and conditions.
This follows news that DDC and the LTA renovated four tennis courts at Marke Wood, Walmer last year. The LTA Tennis Foundation is working to bring thousands of existing park tennis courts back to life for the benefit of communities across the country.
Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits to participants, and are particularly critical to opening up the sport to everyone.
The courts in Connaught Park are set to close on 19 August and to reopen to the public by mid-October, subject to weather conditions.
Once the refurbishment is complete, the council and a local provider will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activities. This will include weekly free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience, where equipment is provided, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or own their own racket. Local tennis leagues will also provide friendly, sociable opportunities to get active through local competition.
Cllr Charlotte Zosseder, DDC Cabinet Member for community, said: “We are delighted to welcome this new investment in tennis facilities in Dover. The refurbishment of the courts at Connaught Park will offer a great opportunity for local residents of all ages to get active in a beautiful park setting and improve their health while having fun.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Dover District Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active. This investment is part of the LTA’s Parks Tennis Project, and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come. We will also be working closely with Dover District 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.”
All courts and sessions at all sites will be available to book online via the LTA website www.lta.org.uk/play making it far easier to find and book a court or activity.
Posted on 01 August 2024