Kilmacolm tennis club celebrate official opening

Saturday 2 June 2001

Members of the Kilmacolm Tennis Club are celebrating the official opening of their re-development today, including the reconstruction of their courts and clubhouse. The sportscotland Lottery Fund made an award of over £75,000 towards the project.

"Local sports clubs play a vital role in our communities..."

First established in 1890, the club is a familiar feature in the pretty Renfrewshire village. Bob Mitchell, President of the Club, believes with the beginning of the new century, the time was right for upgrading the facilities and working towards establishing one of the West of Scotland's finest community tennis clubs. "Which we will achieve through providing a successfully patronised club programme catering for all standards of play," he said.

"The club is well recognised as an asset to the area. Our community has been really supportive during the re-development and I am glad to have the opportunity today to show them, and our funding partners sportscotland and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) how we have achieved our objectives and our plans to capitalise on them and progress in the future."

Including the Lottery Fund cash injection, over £200,000 was spent on a number of key improvements, such as the re-surfacing of the three main tennis courts to ensure year round availability and floodlighting. The new courts also feature a short tennis/practice court. The new pavilion has been an eagerly anticipated amenity, and as Kilmacolm is a conservation location, it has been carefully designed to fit in with its surroundings.

Members aren't the only beneficiaries of the new facilities however, the club have also generously offered the courts for use by the local schools and to the general public at certain times.

Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland, said: "Local sports clubs play a vital role in our communities and are integral to the development of sport at all levels.

"If we want to encourage more people to become involved in sport and join local clubs we have to make sure the facilities on offer to people are accessible, affordable and of good quality. Kilmacolm embodies all these requirements."