The Cranston Park tennis club, Upminster has gone into partnership with the Coopers Coborn School and the London Borough of Havering to introduce the area's first Community Tennis Partnership (CTP).

CTP's are an initiative introduced by the Lawn Tennis Association to provide as much opportunity for as many children as possible to have the chance to play tennis. The LTA have provided £15,000 over three years to help establish the partnership.

The club and its partners have started the CTP from April with courses being run over the Easter holidays. Many more are planned for the rest of the year as the CTP will offer links with many of Havering schools at all levels, infant, junior and secondary.

The eight club courts and the four at Coopers Coborn will provide the base for the initiative with Cranston Park club coach Neil Walker and other qualified coaches working to develop the game.

The CTP status was achieved with much hard work from club members, Martin Vine, John McKernan, Christine Jolly and Neil Walker and from Coopers Coborn staff, Karen Pack and Kathy Peck and also encouragement from the local council.

They had to provide a Business Plan to demonstrate how they would benefit the community with tennis opportunity and also how they were going to fund the scheme and use the LTA funding as well as how they would sustain it after three years.

They have some bold ambitions including: wishing to provide free introductory coaching at all schools and set up clubs where possible; introduce tennis to Special Needs Schools within the area; arrange coaching courses at the Coopers Coborn school during school holidays; arrange adult evening courses at the school and introduce a CTP club; introduce a competitive schools programme.

The CTP holds a Fun Day as part of the LTA Play Tennis 2001 Initiative on May 5 where anybody can call in at the club.

For more details contact Martin Vine on 01708 221900

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