Kids in Devon inspired to pick up a racket
10 July 2019, 14:14 | Updated: 10 July 2019, 15:21
Children in Exeter and Devon are being encouraged to give tennis a try for the first time as part of a drive to get families from communities across the region more active.
With the second week of Wimbledon underway and Brit hope Johanna Konta into the quarter-finals, and Andy Murray’s return to the court going well in the mixed-doubles, children from the city took to the courts at Heavitree Pleasure Grounds to take part in a Tennis for Kids taster session led by local coaches.
The LTA, the national governing body for tennis in Great Britain, and Exeter City Council joined forces to showcase one of the many courses available to young people and families across Devon this summer.
The event focused on how Tennis for Kids encourages more active families and how the programme complements the work being done by Exeter City Council in this area.
Children from St Leonard’s Primary School were invited to take part in today’s session and were joined by the LTA Head of South & South West Region Sharon Heeley and representatives from Exeter City Council.
The LTA’s Tennis for Kids programme, which focuses on kids having fun and making new friends while getting active, is part of range of low-cost and free community tennis activities on offer at Heavitree and other park sites across the city and Devon in the coming months.
Since launching in 2016 following Great Britain’s historic Davis Cup, over 74,000 children have taken part in Tennis for Kids and this year the scheme is hoping to sign up its 100,000th participant.
In that time over 1,000 children from Devon have taken part in the six-week course, which gives 4-11-year-olds an introduction to the sport.
Children who take part get their own kit with a special Tennis for Kids racket & ball set and a personalised t-shirt all for under £30.
To find out more about Tennis for Kids and sign-up to a local course visit www.clubspark.lta.org.uk/tennisforkids
