Game on! Tennis courts back at Wigan park after council refurb

Game on! Tennis courts back at Wigan park after council refurb

Councillor Chris Ready and the Be Well team at Mesnes Park's new tennis courts

Tennis has returned to Wigan’s Mesnes Park with the opening of four new community courts.

The old disused courts at the north west quarter of the park have been brought back to life following investment from Wigan Council.

With all-new surfacing, nets and protective fencing, they are available to book and play via the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)’s online Clubspark platform (external link).

The council’s Be Well service will also be delivering free social tennis sessions as part of their wider parks and racquet sports offer.

Councillor Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said: “We take great pride in our parks here in Wigan Borough as places to relax, socialise and be active, so to see Mesnes Park tennis courts finished and back in action is fantastic. Having already invested in similar courts at Leigh’s Pennington Hall Park, and with other community courts elsewhere in the borough, we wanted to create more opportunities for Wigan residents to come and enjoy this brilliant sport."
 
"We know locals have been hoping for the tennis courts to return for some time, so to finally be able to deliver such quality facilities is really pleasing. This is hopefully just the start of improvements to this area of the park, and we’ve been welcoming all the many comments and suggestions we’ve been getting as we look at how the space can be best improved for the future. In the meantime, our new tennis courts are absolutely smashing and will serve the community for years to come!”

While the courts have been in use by the Be Well team for sessions since late summer, the finishing touches have only recently been applied after giving the tarmac time to settle. They have now been painted green and blue, with markings added for both tennis and pickleball.

As well as being available for residents to hire, the courts will form part of a refreshed local participation drive led by Be Well’s new Head of Racquets, Mark Cowley, who’ll be facilitating tennis activities in local schools and community venues, as well as developing the current offer at Robin Park Leisure Centre – which includes casual play, coaching for both juniors and adults, and competitions and events.

A new community padel venue, Soul Padel, is also in development at Robin Park.

Welcoming the arrival of the new Mesnes Park tennis courts and the wider investment in racquet sports in Wigan Borough, Sam Foakes – the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)’s head of delivery for the North and Midlands West – said: “Mesnes Park has a rich tennis heritage, and seeing the courts reinstated for the community is fantastic news for Wigan and the wider local area."

"This investment represents a further step forward in Wigan Borough’s tennis and padel strategy, which aims to increase access to high-quality tennis and padel facilities for residents of all backgrounds and abilities.  Alongside the enhanced tennis and padel facilities at Robin Park and the refurbished courts at Pennington Hall Park, these improvements are bringing tennis and padel to new communities across the borough through a strong partnership between the council and local delivery partners.”

Visit the LTA website to book or find out more about the new Mesnes Park tennis courts (external link).

Visit the Be Well website for more information on local tennis lessons and activities (external link).