Works to the Clubhouse at Beverley & East Riding Lawn Tennis Club have been completed with the help of £70,000 from East Riding of Yorkshire Council as part of Commuted Sums from local housing developments.
In addition to the £70,000 from Commuted Sums, Beverley and East Riding Lawn Tennis Club have put around £29,000 of their own funds towards the project.
The project has seen a complete refurbishment of the clubhouse and removal of asbestos from the building.
David Beckett, Beverley & East Riding Lawn Tennis Club Secretary, said: “Beverley and East Riding Lawn Tennis Club was established in 1880, making it one of the oldest clubs in the country. Before 1880, the courts were private courts belong to the large Georgian houses on North Bar Without.
“The club has a wonderful history and had the Australian Open champion for 1929, Dr Colin Gregory, as a member and president of the club. Colin Gregory was also the British Davis Cup captain and chairman of the All England club in1955.
“In more recent times, Kyle Edmund started playing tennis at our club and has gone on to become one of the world’s top 20 players and Australian Open semi-finalist.
“Whilst we have a great history, we are a forward-looking club. We are an LTA registered venue, which means that we provide a very safe and welcoming environment for the large number of junior members who play here. We have an excellent Level 3 coach, Tom Davies, who manages our junior tennis development program.
“We run several successful teams in local tennis leagues and a thriving and welcoming social tennis group.
“Our committee decided that we needed to modernize our facilities and we now have seven AstroTurf courts and floodlights, which means we can offer all-year-round tennis.
“Our latest project was to improve the clubhouse and provide modern facilities for our members. We now have a new clubhouse with modern kitchen, changing rooms and disabled facilities.
“We have spent £100,000 upgrading our club, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the excellent support and funding from East Riding of Yorkshire Council and a grant from Sport England.
“Just as the clubhouse was completed, we had the lockdown so we have not be able to have our official opening. We are looking forward to being able to open our new clubhouse to our many new members.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to continue the development of our club and provide the best environment for Beverley and the local community.”
Councillor Mike Stathers, the portfolio holder for Place Shaping including Operational Services, added:
“I am delighted that we have been able to facilitate these Commuted Sums, which were provided by local housing developments as a condition of their planning approval. They have made a huge difference to Beverley & East Riding Lawn Tennis Club, and I wish them well for the future.”
