Fundraisers rally round to serve up new court for Swanage Tennis Club

By Andrew Smith 7 September 2022, 6:00 am

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Members and VIPs of Swanage Tennis Club line up at the new of their new Astro-Turf court

A new Astro-Turf court at Swanage Tennis Club is a smashing new hit, according to delighted players who have just completed summer club tournaments on the ace new surface.

Following a fantastic community fundraising effort, Swanage Mayor Councillor Tina Foster officially opened the tennis club’s third Astro-Turf surface on Saturday 3rd September, 2022.

Swanage Mayor Councillor Tina Foster opens the new court

New £38,000 court easier to play on

The court was previously showing signs of pitting and a loss in surface quality, but with a new surface, the new court – which cost £38,848 to complete – is easier to play on and causes less strain to players’ joints, allowing seniors to carry on with their beloved sport for longer.

And now the club is looking to encourage more younger players to join their ranks and swell the ranks of the friendliest tennis groups in Dorset.

VIPs on the new court (left to right) Swanage Deputy Mayor Chris Moreton, mayor’s consort Leslie Parkinson, Swanage Mayor Tina Foster, Swanage Tennis Club president Judy Longman, councillor Bill Trite, and Swanage Tennis Club acting chair Deborah Miller

“Some of the best quality tennis facilities in Dorset”

Swanage Tennis Club acting chair Deborah Miller said:

“This is a celebration of our most recent tennis court facilities improvement, the conversion of the third court of six from tarmac to Astro-Turf, a far superior playing surface.

“It ensures that the residents of Swanage, the surrounding villages and communities, plus our visitors, have access to some of the best quality public tennis facilities in Dorset.

“This has been made possible by our very positive working partnership with the officers and councillors of Swanage Town Council, who agreed to include the project in the 2021/22 financial year and made a financial contribution towards the work of £6,000.

“We are so fortunate here to have a strong, caring tennis community which looks after each other, and which strongly believes in encouraging more people, both young and old, to enjoy the benefits of playing the game.

“We are a small and friendly tennis club who enjoy playing at the idyllic Beach Gardens, and we welcome all standards of players from juniors and adult beginners right through to more experienced team players.”

Swanage Tennis Club courts in their beautiful Beach Gardens setting

Swanage Tennis Club members and VIPS outside the new court

Grants

The new Astro-Turf court was also made possible with a grant of £4,000 from Dorset Council, and with a very generous £8,000 gift of funds raised by the Co-Op together with its shoppers and local Purbeck residents.

One of the VIPs at the launch event was Judy Longman, club president since 2005, who has been associated with the club for 74 years.

Judy Longman (second from right), Swanage Tennis Club president since 2005

Younger players are lifeblood of the club

Judy set up the Junior Tennis Club and ran it for many years, and welcomed the club’s commitment to encourage more younger players to take up the sport, calling them the lifeblood and future of the society.

Swanage Tennis Club plays all year round, with club sessions running most days of the week, and as the three Astro-Turf courts also benefit from floodlights, it has also been able to extend playing hours.

Players enjoy the new Astro-Turf tennis court at Swanage

“Seniors can carry on playing for longer”

Alison Phin, welfare and inclusion officer, said:

“Astro-Turf is a much better quality surface to play on. It causes much less pressure on the joints which means that senior players can carry on playing for longer.”