Children and young people will once again be able to enjoy free morning tennis sessions in Epsom & Ewell during the school summer holidays after the council's Environment Committee agreed to reinstate the popular initiative at its meeting last night.

This summer offer gives children the opportunity to stay active during the summer holidays and aims to encourage those who are new to tennis to try a new sport. It has proved popular over the past two years, attracting families to the borough's tennis courts during the school break.

The council's tennis courts moved to a pay-to-play model in April 2024 to create a more sustainable future, with the aim of court maintenance and improvements eventually being fully funded through usage fees. Alongside the holiday offer, the council provides two hours of free bookable tennis every weekend throughout the year through the LTA and Barclays Free Park Tennis programme.

The council's investment in the borough's tennis facilities continues to deliver improvements across its parks. Auriol Park's tennis courts have recently undergone a full repaint, following similar renovation work at Court Recreation Ground and Alexandra Recreation Ground last summer.

Councillor Liz Frost, Chair of the Environment Committee, said:

"We're delighted to bring back free summer tennis sessions for children and young people across the borough owned and managed courts. The scheme has been a great success in previous years, helping local families stay active during the school holidays and giving more young people the opportunity to try tennis. At the same time, our sustainable funding model is enabling us to invest in and improve our tennis facilities, ensuring residents can enjoy high-quality courts for years to come."

Details on how to book one of the borough’s tennis courts, are available on the council's website: Epsom & Ewell Parks Tennis | Epsom and Ewell Borough Council.