Dacorum Borough Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have today announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Hemel Hempstead.
In total, two park tennis venues will be renovated, with investment of £116,000 helping ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.
The project is part of a 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 for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.
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. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical to opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.
Alongside the investment, Dacorum Borough Council 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 where 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 local competition.
The park venues being renovated are Reith Fields in Adeyfield and Coronation Fields in Bennetts End, whilst tennis courts at Cupid Green Playing Fields will also have new gate-access technology, making it far easier to find and book a court or activity.
Refurbishment works will start on site in early November at Reith Fields, work at Coronation Fields will begin in January 2024. Both sites will be completed and ready for Spring 2024.
Councillor Sheron Wilkie, Portfolio Holder for Place at Dacorum Borough Council, said: “We are excited to be partnering with the LTA to invest in the refurbishment of these park tennis courts. Tennis is a great way to get active and have fun, and we want to make sure that everyone in Hemel Hempstead has the opportunity to play. These courts will be a valuable asset to our community, and we look forward to seeing people using them from the spring of 2024 onwards.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Dacorum Borough 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 UK Government and 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 Dacorum Borough 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.”
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Kireewong Foto
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