PETERHEAD tennis enthusiasts were celebrating last week after hearing that the town's tennis club had been awarded £50,000 by SITA Trust though its Landfill Communities Fund.
The funding will allow the club's York Street courts to undergo much-needed resurfacing and repair work. Once completed the courts will require very little maintenance, allowing for the continuation of the club.
Peterhead Tennis Club has been runn
ing for more than 30 years and regularly attracts around 50 members - mostly children - each Tuesday and Thursday throughout the season.
Club chairperson, Marie Sutherland, said she was "delighted" with the SITA award and hoped more members would join the club once the upgrade was complete.
"I can't believe how straight forward the application was for this funding," she said.
"We had thought about Lottery funding, but someone told us the forms were extremely complicated, but we have to thank Dawn Brodie of Buchan Development Partnership who suggested we apply for the SITA funding.
"I'm absolutely delighted that we have been awarded the cash and we just can't wait for the work to get started."
Anyone for tennis?: Club chairperson Marie Sutherland hopes the work will help attract older members to the York Street club. Picture: Morag Ledingham.
Marie said contractors Hunter Construction were awaiting the go-ahead to begin the resurfacing work, and it was hoped that it would be completed before the start of the season in April.
Marie said if money remained from the work, then it was hoped to spend it on the clubhouse, which, she admitted, had seen better days.
"It just depends on what the resurfacing costs, as that's the main project. The clubhouse could use a bit of a makeover, but we'll just have to wait and see. That will definitely be next on the agenda," she said.
Marie hopes that once the work is done the club will take on a new lease of life and perhaps attract new members to its ranks.Currently the junior section is thriving, but the adult section is lagging behind.
"The juniors meet on a Tuesday evening - and we regularly have between 30 and 50 kids of mostly primary school-age - while the adults meet on Thursdays," said Marie.
"At the moment we only have four regular adult members so we'd really like to see that number increase. As well as meeting twice weekly we also play in the Buchan League each year, and it's the same four players who are taking part.
"Hopefully, once the resurfacing work is carried out, we can attract more older players along," she said. Marie also hopes to attract a tennis coach to the Blue Toon in the near future, having failed on four occasions in the past.
"I think if there was more encouragement for the youngsters to stay on in the club, then we would see them through to adulthood," she said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the award to the club, Banff and Buchan MP Alex Salmond said: "This sum will make a significant difference to what can be delivered for the people who benefit from this project. I know this will be welcome news to the local community and help support future activities in Banff and Buchan," he said.
"I am delighted by this news, and I am sure that it will be welcomed by everyone involved in this project too."
