Plymouth joins Great British Tennis Weekend celebrations

Devonport Park is one of 39 venues across the country running free tennis events this Saturday for the first ever Great British Tennis Weekend.

Organised by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the weekend will celebrate an incredible year in British tennis and build on the legacy of London 2012 by encouraging people to pick up a racket and get on court.

The event at Devonport Park, supported by Plymouth City Council’s sports development unit, will run from 10am until 4pm and there will be loads of activities on offer for people of all ages and abilities.

As well as the normal family sessions that run every Saturday from 2.30pm to 4.30pm, there will be ‘cardio tennis’ (a tennis-inspired workout for the over 16s that’s all about burning calories and having fun) and ‘mini tennis’ (a scaled-down version of the game for three to 10-year-olds, with different tennis balls and smaller courts and nets) as well as coaching sessions for players aged 16 and over.

All equipment and coaching will be provided free of charge but sessions are expected to be popular so people are advised to book in advance at www.allplaytennis.com/tennisweekend.

Deputy Council Leader Peter Smith said: “The Devonport Park Tennis Programme has been a big success in its first year and we’re already seeing some promising young talent emerging. We hope the Great British Tennis Weekend will build on the excitement around Wimbledon and inspire even more local people to give the sport a go. It’s is a great way to stay fit and active and even if you’ve never played before you’ll have loads of fun.”

Georgina Loosemore, Tennis Development Manager for Devon LTA, said: “There is a really positive buzz around our sport at the moment and we wanted to capitalise on that and make it as easy for people as possible to pick up a racket and have fun on a tennis court with friends and family for free. I am delighted people have the chance to do that at Devonport Park and hope to see many new faces down there this weekend.”

The Devonport Park Tennis Programme was launched by the Council and the Friends of Devonport Park last year and sessions are run in partnership with the LTA, Tennis for Free and Barclays Spaces for Sport, who have just funded a brand new playing surface and markings.

The programme offers free family sessions every Saturday and Sunday, as well as junior coaching, adult coaching and ‘teen tennis’ for just £2 a session. For more information contact the sports development unit on 01752 307008 or email sportsdevelopment@plymouth.gov.uk.

For more information on the LTA and British tennis visit www.lta.org.uk.