New park courts in Burnley are a smash hit with tennis enthusiasts

The facilities at Scott Park, off Manchester Road, and Memorial Park, in Padiham, have undergone extensive work to ensure viability for years to come, including resurfacing, repainting and line marking, new nets and posts and new gate access systems.

The courts at Ightenhill Park and Queens Park will also benefit from the gate access system as well as new nets.

Through the Parks Tennis Project, the LTA is delivering the biggest ever investment in parks tennis facilities across Britain.

This nationwide programme of investment is seeing thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to

life for the benefit of communities across the country, providing vital opportunities for children and adults to get active.

On Sunday, the mayor of Burnley, councillor Raja Arif Khan and the town’s MP Antony Higginbotham were the guests of honour at Scott Park as the courts were officially opened.

They were joined by the leader of the town council, councillor Afrasiab Anwar and Toni Flanders and Alison Lewis from the LTA.

Burnley Tennis Club chairwoman Donna Livesey and secretary Jez Palmer were also present along with school sports partnership manager at Blessed Trinity RC College Helen Tyson.

The town’s MP had a hit on the new courts with the mayor and the leader of the council. They were then followed by children, parents and other members of the public as Burnley Tennis Club held a coaching clinic.

“The courts look absolutely brilliant," said Higginbotham. “It’s one of those things which you invest in now, but you’re not just investing for the children now but for generations to come and for adults too.

"Around Wimbledon we all get excited about watching tennis, but what this means is that people who get excited can come and try it out as well.”

All courts will be available to book via the LTA website. New booking systems and gate access technology means it is now easier to get on court by booking in advance to guarantee availability.

There are two options when booking a court, Pay and play at £3 an hour or you can buy a season ticket which is £35 for the year for up to 5 people per household.

With this, you can play at any of the four sites throughout the year. These small fees will ensure that the courts are maintained at their new high standard for years to

come.