Upgrades are a winner as more that 1,000 Barnet residents sign up for low cost tennis membership

A view across the nets at the tennis courts in Sunny Hill Park in Hendon — The revamped courts at Sunny Hill Park in Hendon – (Credit – Barnet Council)

As fans prepared for this year’s Wimbledon, Barnet Council is celebrating tennis success of its own after over 1,000 residents signed up to play on its newly-refurbished courts.

The council has spent £1.3 million on upgrades to 41 courts across 21 park across the borough, having received £700,000 from the Lawn Tennis Association and put in £600,000 of its of money.

Following this investment, the council’s greenspaces team introduced a new membership scheme allowing adults to play for £36.15 a year with a £15.50 fee for concessions. Members are able to make two one-hour bookings per week at no extra cost.

The council has also introduced a new online booking system and professional coaching sessions. The result is that over 1,000 residents have signed up and there have been over 60,000 court bookings over the past year.

Highlighting the positive results, Anne Clarke, Barnet Council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “It’s fantastic to see over 1,000 residents already taking advantage of our low-cost tennis membership.

“This shows how we can deliver high-quality services that are accessible and affordable, while also generating income to reinvest in our parks. The greenspaces team has done a brilliant job – this is a real win for Barnet.”

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