Forming part of a £1.2 million project to refurbish the King George V recreational facilities, funding was allocated to resurface the courts and upgrade the floodlights. In addition, the KGV Charity received £10,725 from the LTA to install remote access gate systems to manage access to the courts.

It is a priority for the charity to make tennis affordable for all, whilst maintaining the high quality of the facilities.

The chairman and vice chairman of the King George’s Field Charity, Councillors Julie Robinson and John Baxter, said, “The facilities at the King George’s recreation ground are a major asset to the town’s community and have always been popular. It is the charity’s priority to ensure they are accessible for everyone to enjoy and it has been a goal for many years to upgrade and modernise the facilities. To now see this dream become reality is truly rewarding.”

A new Ferndown Community Tennis Pass has been introduced, which entitles an entire family free access to the courts for £37 per year. Alternatively, there is an option to ‘Pay as you Play’ from £6 per hour. Thanks to the investment of the LTA, members of the public will be able to sign up to the tennis pass and book courts online. There is also a mobile App called ‘ClubSpark Booker’ which is the quickest and easier way to book a court.

“The refurbished tennis courts look fantastic and we are very excited to at last announce that the tennis courts are ready to play on,” added the two councillors. “Thanks to the generous contribution from the LTA, we have been able to install the ClubSpark SmartAccess gate system which will provide better access and introduce this exciting sport to as many people as possible.”

Rob Peters, LTA Participation Development Partner in the South and South West, said, “This is fantastic news and we’re very pleased to be working with Ferndown Town Council and the King George’s Field Charity to develop their park courts and help open tennis up to more local people.

“The SmartAccess gate system is a crucial part of our free offer to local authorities across the country to make their facilities sustainable in the long-term. Around 1.5 million people played in parks in the last 12 months, so this strategy is key to our vision of opening up tennis. It is vital that these venues are safeguarded to ensure they continue to serve as hubs to bring individuals and communities together through tennis, and we welcome any interest from other local authorities in helping achieve this.”

Ferndown Tennis Club and ‘Live For Tennis’ Coaching are also based on the courts at KGV Playing Fields. Ferndown Tennis Club organise their club sessions and matches and ‘Live For Tennis’ delivers a community coaching programme for all. More information about club activity and coaching can be found via the links below.
https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/FerndownTennisClub
https://www.live4tennis.co.uk/

More information about the Ferndown Community Tennis Pass can be found at http://clubspark.lta.org.uk/FerndownCommunityTennis.