Last week in Parliament, the MP for Islwyn Chris Evans, met with representatives from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to hear about their Park Tennis Project and their work across the country to bring public courts, that are in a poor or unplayable state, back to life.
There are currently 1.7million adults and many more children who play tennis in a local park every year, and park tennis courts are particularly important in providing affordable, engaging and accessible opportunities for players.
Whilst the popularity of the sport is flourishing, there are many areas of the country where park courts remain neglected and unusable. The LTA have found that, currently across England, Wales and Scotland around 45% of park courts are considered as being in poor, very poor or unplayable condition, preventing many from picking up a racket and getting active.
Chris Evans MP said
“I was pleased to meet with the LTA and Park Tennis Project to hear about the work they are doing in Islwyn to bring public courts that are in a poor, or unplayable state, back to life.
During the COVID- 19 Pandemic we saw how important having access to public spaces for exercise truly is, and with the rising cost of living, many people will be turning again to our public spaces for sport and exercise.
It is vital projects, such as the Park Tennis Project, are supported to ensure everyone has the opportunity to engage in tennis and access playable courts.”
In Islwyn, there are several tennis courts which are available for members of the community to use. You can find your nearest court here: https://www.lta.org.uk/play/find-a-tennis-court/
