A Derbyshire town has received a cash injection that is set to improve sports facilities in the area and give a boost to community sports events.
Amber Valley Borough Council (AVBC) and The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have partnered to bring tennis courts, last used for the sport 15 years ago, back to life.
A £119,000 investment is being made available for the project, which will enable the refurbishment of four tennis courts at Alfreton Recreation Ground, off Grange Street.
A spokesman for AVBC said: “As part of the refurbishment works, the courts will be upgraded, and improvements will also be made to the accessibility and security of the site.
“A new digitally coded Gate Access system will be installed, which promotes and improves court access for tennis.
“Once the refurbishment at Alfreton Welfare is complete, players will able to book online via the LTA website www.lta.org.uk/book, making it far easier to find and book a court or activity.
There will also be one netball court marked out which will also be available to book.”
The spokesman continued: “The Park Refurbishment Programme is part of nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation. Delivered by the LTA it is a key part of its vision of ‘Tennis opened up.’
“Their mission is to grow tennis by making it “relevant, accessible, welcoming, and enjoyable.” It aims to bring existing park tennis courts across the country, which are in poor or unplayable condition, back to life for the benefit of communities.
“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, opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.”
Alongside the investment, Amber Valley Borough Council are also set to 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.
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Amber Valley 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 Amber Valley Borough Council to ensure that the local community has a range of accessible opportunities to get on court and open up our sport to many more people.”

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