A GREAT NEW DEAL FOR TENNIS IN NEWBURY & THATCHAM
Newbury Town Council has entered into a 10-year agreement with the National Tennis Association (NTA) with support from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to enable the local community to easily access tennis courts and increase awareness and participation of tennis in the area.
In the first of its kind, Newbury Tennis Club, Thatcham Memorial Foundation Tennis Courts and Victoria Park Tennis Courts are now connected under one banner as Newbury & Thatcham Community Tennis.
Since launching in March 2017, the refurbished tennis courts in Victoria Park have been a great success with both membership and coaching programmes for adults and children.
Newbury Tennis Club has also gone from strength to strength during this time with both venues coaching facilities being offered by the National Tennis Association (NTA), in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). Thatcham also has two courts, owned by the Thatcham Memorial Foundation, which were being underutilised.
This new partnership agreement has created a clear and combined tennis offer for the local community in Newbury, spanning the 3 courts at Victoria Park, the 4 courts at Newbury Tennis Club and the two courts at Thatcham to cater for increasing demand.
Cllr Sarah Slack, Chair of the Council’s Community Services Committee said, “The Town Council saw this as an opportunity to increase the number of players at Victoria Park and encourage residents to enjoy tennis and give it a try without being restricted to just one venue. The main objective of both the NTA and the LTA is to increase awareness of tennis and encourage people of all backgrounds and ages to have a go at playing tennis. It’s a great game!
We are delighted to be the first Town Council to enter into such an agreement which will benefit residents of Newbury and make tennis more accessible for everyone”.
Mike Piggford, LTA Parks Investment Delivery Partner, said, “This new agreement brings a comprehensive and accessible tennis offer to Newbury and Thatcham, opening tennis up to everyone in the local community and creating the platform to allow many more people to experience the mental and physical health benefits the sport can bring.”
Ed Nieburg, Director National Tennis Association said, "National Tennis Association (NTA) are thrilled to partner with organisations in Newbury & Thatcham to offer better access to tennis. NTA's vision is to develop, inspire and educate more people about tennis, and it's great, through these partnerships, to have successfully developed a unique joined-up approach. As a result, Newbury & Thatcham Community Tennis now enables more accessibility and affordability for people to access tennis within the local community."
The courts are available to book on a pay-and-play basis, or you can pay from just £45 for annual membership which will allow a household access to book up to 8 hours of court time per week, at no extra cost and up to a week in advance. All 3 courts can be booked under one unified website: https://victoriapark.newburythatchamtennis.org.uk/.
This ensures that tennis is both accessible and affordable for everyone.
Contact:
Cllr Sarah Slack, Chairperson Community Services Committee
Caroline Edmunds, Community Services Officer, Newbury Town Council 07399 122964
