Wirral Tennis Centre in Bidston receives Lawn Tennis Association accolade

Oct 12 2011 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Wirral Tennis Centre in Bidston receives Lawn Tennis Association accolade

A BIDSTON tennis centre is celebrating receiving an accolade from the British Lawn Tennis Association.

Wirral Tennis Centre, on Valley Road, has been awarded Beacon Status, which was given to the club for providing accessible and affordable indoor tennis facilities to the local community.

The award was presented to the club last week by the president of the British Lawn Tennis Association, Peter Bretherton, who also took time to tour the facilities before officially handing over the special status.

Councillor Chris Meaden, Wirral Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “We are committed to developing the range of sports activities available to all residents in Wirral.

“Wirral Tennis Centre is one of the top community-based facilities for the sport in the country and, along with the money we are investing in our leisure centres, means that Wirral residents have access to some of the best sports facilities in the country.”

Wirral Tennis Centre is one of only 100 community tennis facilities to be given the accreditation alongside membership of the AEGON Parks Tennis Programme, which provides funding and support for British tennis.

Having Beacon Status means Wirral Tennis Centre will be able to access additional sources of funding, as well as benefiting from increased promotion and endorsement from the LTA.

In return, the centre has made a commitment to build on the good work it has already done, increasing opportunities for more people to come into tennis and develop their game.

Wirral Tennis Centre has six indoor and two outdoor championship-standard tennis courts and is home to the Wirral-wide Tennis Development Programme.

It also has a successful record in promoting disability tennis.