Free tennis coaching sessions for children served up this summer at Telford’s Dawley Park
A company that supports tennis clubs across the UK is serving up free tennis sessions for children in Telford throughout the summer.
We Do Tennis work closely with many clubs, including here in Shropshire, and launched free coaching classes on the outside courts at Dawley Park last weekend.
The company has secured funding from the Fred Perry Tennis Trust to run exciting community coaching sessions for youngsters aged between six and 11.
Designed to be an ideal and fun introduction to the sport, the one-hour classes will run every Saturday until August 16.
Nigel Hunter, a Shropshire-based director of We Do Tennis, said: “The Fred Perry Tennis Trust is a national charity that we have been working with for some time, and we have had really good results with getting lots of children playing.
“Fred Perry, a tennis legend, was born in Stockport and the first work we actually did with the charity was in Stockport.
“They funded some courts in the town to be repainted with the Fred Perry logo, and they have done lots of exciting things to support grassroots tennis.
“We have managed to expand it to other areas and we are now really excited to involve Shropshire for the first time with the free sessions at Dawley Park.
“With this being the first project in the county, we really hope it goes well and leads to further opportunities.”
The coaching sessions are split into three different groups, between 3-4pm for six and seven-year-olds, from 4-5pm for eight and nine-year-olds, and between 5-6pm for 10 and 11-year-olds, with all equipment provided for the children.
Nigel added: "There's some really good park tennis facilities in Telford & Wrekin with the tennis courts at Dawley Park, Hartshill Park and Bowring Park in Wellington.
“It's initiatives like these free tennis sessions that we now need to really activate all three of the parks.
“The way the pathway works is that people can start playing in the park - in some cases, people will stay playing in a park because that's the environment that suits them best - but some will then further their skills and move on to one of the local tennis clubs in Shropshire, or maybe Telford Tennis Centre with its indoor courts.
“By putting on free sessions with our team of coaches, we can meet people, have conversations and help make the tennis pathway clearer.”
Places for children to the Dawley Park sessions can be booked online via these links.
For six and seven-year olds: click here
For eight and nine-year-olds: click here
For 10 and 11-year-olds: click here
Pictured: Liam Moore, a coach for We Do Tennis, with some of the children taking part in the coaching sessions at Telford's Dawley Park.