Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the Government’s £30 million investment in 1,000 public tennis courts across the UK, including Victoria Park in Uckfield.
The £30 million package, which has seen £21.6 million committed by the Government and £8.4 million by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), is the most significant investment in grassroots tennis for a generation. 1,000 public tennis courts have now been refurbished just in time for the Wimbledon Championships, ensuring greater access to grassroots sports for local people.
Victoria Park in Uckfield is one of the sites that were regenerated in Wealden, including gates and online booking.
In its lifetime, the package will deliver vital improvements to the condition of over 3,000 park tennis courts across England, Scotland and Wales between 2022-2024, with the target of attracting 500,000 more players every year. Every court being refurbished will also benefit from access to the LTA online booking system and digital access gates, to make getting onto court as easy and secure as possible for tennis players across the country.
Nusrat Ghani said: “I welcome this much-needed investment in improving tennis facilities in Wealden, just in time for this year’s championship. Funding for grassroots sports is essential for the nation’s physical and mental health, and anyone inspired by Wimbledon should pick up a racket and give tennis a go at Victoria Park. I am constantly campaigning for more funding for Wealden and I hope that other local facilities will also be able to benefit from the fantastic fund.”
